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Roads Services

31 October 2024 Media Release: Wrapping up Transport Month – A Look into Garden Route District Municipality’s Roads Services

Media Release: Wrapping up Transport Month – A Look into Garden Route District Municipality’s Roads Services

 31 October 2024

The Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) serves a diverse region known for its coastal towns, arid Klein Karoo stretches of land, lush forests, and mountainous landscapes, and farmlands. Through its Roads Services Department, GRDM services approximately 47 000 square km2 roads on behalf of the Western Cape Government Provincial Department of Infrastructure.

GRDM ensures that, within its resource capacity, that road schedules are carefully planned while taking into consideration adverse weather conditions. The Roads Services personnel undertake various tasks such as infrastructure upgrades, re-graveling, resealing, and upgrading roads. These are all aimed at ensuring a reliable and safe trip for road users.

The total length of roads maintained within the Garden Route District is 6003km. The gravel roads serviced, account for 44.32% of all gravel roads in the district. The area serviced by GRDM is divided into 15 wards and these are maintained by 16 maintenance grader operators. According to an agreement with the WCG, a minimum of 10,000 km of gravel road surface must be graded annually. Where necessary, re-graveling projects are undertaken, and the Road Agency is responsible for rehabilitating the quarries from which the gravel is sourced.

A maintenance team is assigned to each ward, as well as a dedicated reseal team.  They also address potholes and seal to road surfaces. These teams rely heavily on farm owners and workers to also inform them of road-related issues after floods.

Garden Route Road Services Fleet

The Garden Route Roads Department currently has a fleet of 436 vehicles, valued at R439 134 592, consisting of both minor and major plant equipment and making it the largest fleet in the Western Cape.  The budget for the 2023/2024 financial year, according to the Service Level Agreement, was R201 427 000.

Minor plant includes smaller equipment such as concrete saws, compactors, mowers, pumps, and other tools used for various construction tasks on-site. These items can typically be operated by a single person.

Major plant primarily consists of heavy machinery but also includes smaller buses and vans. The heavy machinery refers to larger machines designed for tougher tasks, with commonly used equipment in the department including bulldozers, backhoe loaders, excavators, crane trucks, and more.

Road network

The road network which is maintained covers a combined distance of 6003km of road, of which 5282km are gravel surfaced roads, and 721km are bituminous surfaced roads.

Weather incidents and its impact on roads

The Garden Route District has experienced severe weather over the past year, which have left several roads in poor condition for road users. Some roads were temporarily closed due to the extent of the damage, while others have since been repaired and are now operational again.

At GRDM, we recognise that infrastructure maintenance and rehabilitation have a direct impact on the quality of life for individuals. Well-maintained roads and highways alleviate traffic congestion, reduce travel time, and improve the safety of road users. This is achieved through regular inspections of the road network, which provide valuable input for future maintenance plans.

Current Projects and their values

The following current projects have been identified along with their budgeted allocations:

PROJECT NAME AMOUNT
Reseal Project R26.25 million
Gwaing Road Construction R67 million
Maintenance Work R107 million
Regravel R28.665 million
Flood damage R20 million

The total budget for the current financial year, which services these projects, is R196.8M.

Current Projects

  1. Maintenance Section
  • Blacktop Patching target: 3000 m2
  • Blacktop Patching actual: 468,00 m2 (May 2024)
  • Projected at end of FY: 3000m2​
  • ​Blading Target: 10 000 km​
  • Blading Actual: 2 115,11 km (May 2024)
  • Projected at end of FY: 10 000km​

2. Reseal Team

  • Reseal Target: 268 652,00 m2​
  • Projected at end of FY: 268 652,00 m2​

​3. Regravel & Construction team

Re-gravel- and Construction Teams is currently busy attending to Flood damages as per list below:

Please click on the link to view the list of flood-damaged roads.

Activities currently underway

Our staff component
To ensure that the roads in the Garden Route District are well-maintained, it is essential for Council to have the best personnel in place, as this specialised work requires specific skills. At GRDM, staff are trained to perform their duties with a high level of professionalism and expertise. Strict policies and procedures are in place for employees to follow, ensuring that everyone works together toward a common goal, while also ensuring that time and resources are used efficiently.

The Roads Services Department is one of GRDM’s key departments where specialised training, skills development, and mentoring opportunities are highly successful. These initiatives are essential in helping officials grow within the organisation, ensuring they acquire the expertise needed to excel in their roles and contribute to the department’s continued success.

Our Engineering Team
The Engineering technicians in GRDM are primarily involved in various engineering projects that include civil (construction, reseal & maintenance). Their responsibilities typically encompass:

  • Technical Support: They provide technical assistance by performing calculations, field surveying, drafting plans, and using computer-aided design (CAD) software.
  • Community Engagement: Given the municipality’s focus on community development, engineering technicians often engage with local residents to gather input on projects that affect their lives such as gathering complaints.
  • Project planning and design, maintenance management and site supervision, among others are functions they perform.

Meet our technicians
Yolanda Somkhala – Chief Engineering Technician
Lungisa Qendu – Chief Engineering Technician
Chesney Roelf – Chief Engineering Technician
Azola Mtangai – Chief Engineering Technician

-END-

24 October 2024 Media Release: De Hoop Road – Bo-Kouga in Uniondale almost restored to its former glory

Media Release: De Hoop Road – Bo-Kouga in Uniondale almost restored to its former glory

24 October 2024

The Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) Executive Mayor, Andrew Stroebel, accompanied by members of the Mayoral Committee and GRDM administration, visited the De Hoop Road (DR1835) in the Bo Kouga area near Uniondale today to inspect the completed repairs and upgrades. Uniondale forms part of the George municipal area and plays an integral part of the agricultural value chain with sheep, seed and fruit farming being the most popular.

Earlier this year, heavy rainfall severely damaged multiple roads in the region, with some sections completely washed away, isolating communities and disrupting access to and from farms. The Western Cape Provincial Government’s (WCG) Department of Infrastructure, under the leadership of Minister Tertuis Simmers, responded by allocating R20 million for emergency repairs to restore and improve the affected roads.

The restoration work to date had gone beyond simply repairing flood damage. The allocated funds were also used to enhance the drainage systems along these roads to prevent future damage, said Mayor Stroebel. The GRDM Construction team is leading the restoration and construction effort, with a total of nine roads in the region scheduled for completion by early 2025. According to Mayor Stroebel, Ongoing construction work is currently focused on Uniondale and Riversdale, with upcoming projects set to begin in Van Wyksdorp and Knysna.

A brief background of the flood damage and repairs

The flooding of the DR1835 road occurred when the adjacent river overflowed, washing away the road’s structural layers. The repair process required a complete reconstruction of the road’s foundation. In addition, significant improvements to the drainage system were made, including the replacement of stormwater culverts and the installation of drainage humps along the pass section.

To protect against future erosion, hand-built stone-pitched headwalls are being constructed using materials sourced from the road reserve. This project also incorporates the Expanded Public Works Programme, which provides local workers with valuable training and hands-on experience in the construction field.

Feature image: Mayor Andrew Stroebel with several Mayoral Committee Members, the Executive Manager for Roads Services and other support staff of Garden Route District Municipality.

ENDS

16 July 2024 Media Release: Executive Mayor, Deputy Executive Mayor, Councillors, Management and Staff welcome 5 new additions to Roads Yellow Fleet

Media Release: Executive Mayor, Deputy Executive Mayor, Councillors, Management and Staff welcome 5 new additions to Roads Yellow Fleet

16 July 2024

Today, the Garden Route District Municipality’s (GRDM) Roads Department took in acceptance five vehicles to the value of approximately R 500 000 each. This special occasion was witnessed by the GRDM Executive Mayor, Ald. Andrew Stroebel, Executive Deputy Mayor, Ald. Vlancio Donson, Mayoral Committee Chairperson (MMC) for Roads Services – Cllr Stag Cronje, and other MMCs, as well as GRDM Municipal Manager, Monde Stratu, and support staff.

The vehicles were procured with Western Cape Government funding and were handed over to the Roads Team at their main depot in George. The purpose of these new additions to the current yellow fleet of the Municipality, is to maintain service delivery standards of the all fifteen (15) Roads teams across the Garden Route.

In the past two years GRDM received ten (10) Maintenance and Construction Graders. The fleet value of the Graders received thus far in the past two years amounts to just over R50 million. Twelve (12) new Vans were also received over the past two years.

Today, is therefore another milestone and historic occasion for the municipality, as the Roads Department continues to strive towards excellence, more specifically in ensuring safe roads that link various areas and farms, including rural areas.

19 June 2024 Update: Gwaiing Road Construction Works, George

Update: Gwaiing Road Construction Project

19 June 2024

The Gwaiing project remains in the construction phase, with a focus on the layer works.

Progress on the project has been delayed by the recent Victoria Street building collapse due to the yellow fleet / trucks that were made available to transport building rubble from the incident. The recent downpour of rainfall in the region also had an impact on the progress to date.

The team is currently constructing the cement-stabilized layer on the right-hand side (RHS) lane, which is the second-to-last layer of the roadworks. Preparation is also underway for the material for the final layer of the RHS lane before it can be transported onto the road. Additionally, work is being conducted on the drainage network to ensure effective stormwater management on the site.

The percentage of completion remains at 78%, as the team is awaiting the test results of a test section that was done to approve the material used for the final layer on the RHS. The program of the specialist machine used for the stabilisation process, has also been affected by the rainfall, and production will commence on that activity as soon as the machine arrives on the site.

The intended final completion date is set for 18 September 2024

-ENDS-

9 May 2024 Media Release: Fencing subsidies available – call for applications

Media Release: Fencing subsidies available – call for applications

For Immediate Release
9 May 2024

On an annual basis, Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) provides fencing subsidies for a selected number of landowners on neighbouring provincial rural roads with fencing of their properties.

This is subject to a budget as received from the Western Cape Government.

The funding will only be applicable on a subsidy basis.  It effectively means that 60% subsidy will be contributed towards the cost of the fencing. The subsidy is determined by an average price for material. The material is deemed as 60% of total cost. Labour cost is deemed as 40% of the total cost and must be carried by the applicant.   All initial costs must be carried by the applicant and subsidy will be paid out after the successful completion of the fence. For more information refer to the Fencing Subsidy Policy of Garden Route District Municipality.

The new fences must adhere to the specifications of the Provincial Government of the Western Cape:  Roads Infrastructure Department. Minimum specifications will be made available to successful applicants.

Application process

  1. Application forms can be obtained from Mr Qamani Nkebana or Mr Lungisa Qendu at the Roads Transport & Planning Department. Contact numbers at the office is 044 803 1506 / 044 803 1577 or email Qamani@gardenroute.gov.za / Lungisa@gardenroute.gov.za. Alternatively download from www.gardenroute.gov.za .
  2. Application period: 09th May 2024 to 31st May 2024.
  3. Applications will be audited and evaluated according to risk analysis by a panel. Risk factors include:

Status of road, traffic count, operating speed of vehicles, type of farming, condition of current fence, etc

  1. The panel outcome will be decided by 02nd August 2024. All applicants will be informed.  A fencing subsidy contract will be signed with successful applicants.  Unsuccessful applicants can apply again in the next financial year.
  2. All fences must be fully completed by 30th November 2024 for payment before 28 February 2025.
  3. Payment will be done after an inspection and an approval for the fence has been made.

Closing date:  31st May 2024

Notice number: 46/2024

Relevant Documents 

Application Form and Annexures

Fencing-subsidy-letter-for-applying-applicants-2024

Guidelines for the fencing of roads by adjacent landowners

MBD4-Declaration-of-Interest

03 May 2024 Update: Gwaiing Road Construction Works, George

Update: Gwaiing Road Construction Project

03 May 2024

The Gwaiing project is still in its construction phase with the progress of the project currently stands at 78% works completed.

The Road Construction team is currently busy with the cement stabilisation of the subbase layer on the RHS lane, which is the second to last layer that will be placed on the newly constructed road, after which, the construction of the final Basecourse layer will begin.

The main focus areas at this stage remain the processing of the layer works. Material is still being carted in from the approved source. The drainage network on the entire section of road has been improved, with minor concrete structures currently being constructed for erosion control.

The intended final completion date is set for 18 September 2024.

-ENDS-

05 April 2024 Update: Gwaiing Road Construction Works, George

Update: Gwaiing Road Construction Project

05 April 2024

The Gwaing project is still in its construction phase.  The progress of the project currently stands at 70% works completed, after a few rain delays were experienced in the last two weeks.

The main focus areas at this stage remains the processing of the layer works. Material is still being carted in from the approved source, with the cement stabilisation process scheduled to start as early as next week. The drainage network on the entire section of the road has been improved, with minor concrete structures currently being constructed for erosion control.

The intended final completion date is set for 18 September 2024.

-ENDS-

20 February 2024 Update: Gwaiing Road Construction Works, George

Update: Gwaiing Road Construction Project

20 February 2024

The Gwaing project is still in its construction phase with 65% works completed.

The main focus areas currently are the processing of the layer works, where the team will soon commence with the stabilisation process of the first lane, as material is currently being carted into the site from the approved source. Various other activities are still in process such as the improvement of the drainage network by means of laying new stormwater pipe crossings, which are nearing its completion.

The final completion date set for 18 September 2024.

-ENDS-

31 January 2024 Media Release: Statement on Montagu Pass and Seven Passes Road

Media release by Western Cape Government: Montagu Pass and Seven Passes Road

For Immediate Release
31 January 2024

There were unprecedented levels of flood damage across much of the provincial road network during the 2023 winter. The most severe storm took place over the Heritage Day long weekend, but this was by no means the only damaging winter storm last year. The Montagu Pass and Seven Passes Road are two of the Western Cape roads that had to be closed after sustaining severe flood damage during flooding.

The Department of Infrastructure’s (DOI) first responsibility concerning damaged roads is to re-establish access so that all communities that rely on a particular road are reconnected to the wider road network. Once access has been established, the order of repairs is prioritised. First, by the amount of traffic a particular road carries, and then by the road’s critical economic importance. Once access has been established, road users may have to use long detours or alternative routes until other repairs are possible.

Given the current resource constraints and following the need to prioritise the order in which road repairs can be made, DOI has had to prioritise routes that carry higher traffic volumes and that are associated with greater economic activity than the Montagu Pass and the Seven Passes Road. Despite our efforts, it is not currently possible to provide a timeline for the reopening of the Montagu Pass or the Seven Passes Road.

MONTAGU PASS

Initial repair work on Montagu Pass was stopped following intervention by members of the public and Heritage Western Cape (HWC). Since the pass is a Provincial Heritage Site, DOI first had to receive the necessary HWC permit before work could be restarted. Before permission was received to restart work, there was further adverse weather that caused the road to deteriorate to the point where it was no longer safe for public use and had to be closed.

Various processes then followed before work could be initiated. During this time, the road further deteriorated due to more adverse weather.

Currently, due to a lack of funding and resource availability required, repairs have been delayed. Repairs have further been severely impacted by the flood repair requirements across the province following more flooding. This delay is due to the damage to the road network during the 2022 and 2023 winter floods, most notably the Heritage Day long weekend floods in 2023. Despite the economic value of the Montagu Pass including its value to the tourism sector, this is not a critical route because an alternative is available (the Outeniqua Pass). Priority must be given to roads where there aren’t viable alternatives to ensure that communities remain connected to the broader road network.

HWC has engaged with various stakeholders on the maintenance and repair of Montagu Pass over the past few months with several meetings attended by representatives of HWC, DOI, law enforcement, and conservation bodies. A permit has now been issued to DOI by HWC for the maintenance and repair of the Montagu Pass. The main constraint to restarting work is the current lack of resources. As the Outeniqua Pass provides a viable alternative route, repairs on the Montagu Pass are not considered to be critical, given the prioritisation criteria provided above.

Allegations of problems with a contractor have been made in the public domain, but these are baseless. No contractor was involved in any work on the pass. The Department required heritage approval. The heritage approval processes did not previously prohibit maintenance on Montagu Pass and maintenance continued as normal work. Unfortunately, complaints by concerned groups in the area caused work to stop and meant DOI had to follow a Heritage Western Cape approval process.

The Department has been asked what it is doing to support businesses along closed routes. There are no businesses in the closed section of the pass meaning businesses remain open. However, the DOI does not have a mechanism or the resources to support businesses affected by closed roads, irrespective of the reason for the closure. This road is no different.

The work will be prioritised along with all other roads that were damaged by the floods, and the maintenance will resume as soon as the necessary capacity and resources, including finance, are available. This is likely to be done in a phased approach, based on budget and resource availability, with the priority being to restore some form of access, even if traffic is restricted to a single lane with stop/go controls. There is currently no prospective date for reopening the road soon. The pass will only be reopened when the necessary maintenance has been completed.

SEVEN PASSES ROAD

Seven Passes Road also sustained significant damage during the 2022/2023 winter floods. This road will be reopened once it has been repaired to its pre-flood-damaged state. This will take considerable time and resources during a period when there are severe resource constraints. Unfortunately, other damaged roads that carry more traffic and are more economically important are a higher priority.

During 2022/2023 there were significant slips on the road, most notably between Nelson Mandela University and Wilderness Heights, MR355. The damage was of such a nature that lane closures were implemented where the most notable slips occurred. Traffic was allowed to pass with applicable signage in place. The situation was monitored to see if this could be a safe alternative as an interim measure.

Unfortunately, due to the geometry of the pass and narrow road width, coupled with irresponsible road user behaviour, there was a high risk of crashes. The difficult decision had to be taken to fully close the road in the interest of road safety and to protect the asset from further damage.

The DOI has received information about cyclists using the route and distributing their own subjective reports on its suitability for traffic. When a route is closed, it is closed to all road users and for their safety. There is damage below the surface level that is not immediately visible. The DOI will not keep a route closed unnecessarily as it is in our interest to have every part of the broader road network fulfil its role.

The pass will only be reopened when the necessary maintenance has been completed as soon as the resources are available. Unfortunately, other damaged roads that carry more traffic and are of higher economic importance than the Seven Passes Road remain a greater repair priority.

We remain committed to reopening these passes as soon as possible to do so, given the constrained fiscal environment. We ask residents to please be patient and to work with us, particularly with regards to their safety. Both passes remain closed to all road users, and we ask pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists to all adhere to the closure of the road.

ENDS

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
Email: Jandre.Bakker@westerncape.gov.za