Photo by: Duane Daws
Material shortages and inclement weather have caused some delays‚ but the department of transport and public works is confident that work on the R320 Hemel en Aarde Road will be completed towards the end of 2015.
The construction project – which includes upgrading the road surface between Hermanus and Caledon‚ and the re-alignment of Shaw’s Mountain Pass - originally commenced in March 2012 but the contract was terminated in November the next year.
The termination coincided with a severe storm hitting the area and major damage‚ and setting back progress.
In February 2015‚ a new service provider took over the contract.
“The biggest challenge remains to find suitable gravel wearing coarse‚ a specific material for non-surfaced roads‚ for the intended re-gravel of 6 km of District Road 1257‚ which forms part of the Main Road 269 upgrading project‚” says spokesperson Andries van Wageningen.
But disruptions to traffic flow are kept to a minimum as there are no road closures‚ with being accommodated on one-way sections”clearly indicated on the R320”.
“During construction‚ temporary‚ one-way day closures are occasionally deployed.”