29 July 2024
Citrusdal road update: Unfortunately, water volumes caused the berm to be breached again. The construction area has been flooded. Water voumes will first have to drop to repair the berm before road construction commence.
26 July 2024
Citrusdal has experienced significant challenges to road access following multiple severe weather events which flooded routes to the town. A section of the link to the N7 completely washed away.
Access route status
Of the four major access routes to Citrusdal, two have been reopened. The Department of Infrastructure is cautiously optimistic that, weather and water-level permitting, a third will be open to traffic by tomorrow, 27 July 2024.
- Roads open:
- Citrusdal to N7 via Clanwilliam: Route MR539 to DR2183 to N7.
- Citrusdal to Ceres: Route via MR310.
- Road likely to reopen by 27 July 2024 (weather and water level permitting):
- Citrusdal-N7 via MR539 – the low water bridge on this route is under water and is closed. The intention is to reopen this road soon, water level permitting.
- Road still closed:
- MR310 (R303): Road linking Citrusdal directly to N7.
Status on MR310 (R303)
The road that directly links Citrusdal to the N7 is the MR310 (also known as the R303). During 2023 the section between km marker 112.84 and km marker 112.93 washed away and was successfully rebuilt. This section withstood the flooding but the section between km marker 112.74 and km marker 112.84 washed away and must now be rebuilt. The full section that suffered some form of damage is between km marker 12.6 and km marker 13.36.
To rebuild this section, water levels must drop sufficiently for the berms where the river broke its banks to be repaired. Water levels have dropped to such an extent that these berms have been put back in place. Works to rebuild this road can now start.
Depending on the weather and current water levels, works could start as soon as Tuesday, 30 July 2024.
The process entails preparing the area, followed by constructing a drainage layer (which could include rockfill) followed by various layer works. Half-width traffic will be allowed with stop-and-go traffic controls as soon as the base layers are in place so that formal layer works are completed.
“As in 2023, the main priority is to establish access as soon as the layer works are complete”, said Advocate Chantal Smith, Head of the Department of Infrastructure. “The washed away section of MR310 on the N7-side of Citrusdal will be built back better when compared to its previous state by surfacing road shoulders as protection for overtopping and introducing rockfill embankment support to the compacted layer works. Resurfacing the rebuilt section will follow later. The community is reminded that such resurfacing will likely only be towards the warmer months to ensure the quality of the resurfacing. In the interim, the section that we will work on is likely to remain a gravel section until resurfacing is complete”, she added.
The cost of these repairs is not yet known. The dates for when the first vehicles can use the road and when the final surfacing will be complete are also not yet known for reasons described above.
Request to the public
“While it is tempting to visit the construction site, we urge the community not to come near the construction area”, said Tertuis Simmers, Provincial Minister of Infrastructure. “This is for the safety of the community and our teams. Any injury or event could bring the process to a grinding halt and unnecessarily delay the repair”, he added.
“Given the challenges our community has faced due to the severe weather, I urge all residents and travelers to exercise patience and caution as we work diligently to restore full access to Citrusdal. Your understanding and cooperation is vital as we undertake these critical repairs to ensure safe and reliable roadways for everyone. We are committed to completing this work as swiftly and safely as possible, and we appreciate your support during this time,” the Minister added.
“I wish to thank the community of Citrusdal for their patience over the past couple of weeks. I also wish to state that multiple stakeholders are working behind the scenes to ensure that the river issues are addressed to lower the likelihood of this kind of event being repeated in future. This will require engagement with multiple roleplayers and will be coordinated across the Western Cape Government, other spheres of government and with other stakeholders. We remain committed to assist where we can,” the Minister concluded.
Press statement audio
English
Afrikaans
- Download the press statement
Media queries:
Mr. Ntobeko Mbingeleli
Spokesperson for Provincial Minister Tertuis Simmers
ntobeko.mbingeleli@westerncape.gov.za
021 483 8067 (o)
061 447 7851 (m)
Mr. Jandré Bakker
Head of Communication
Department of Infrastructure