The Franschhoek Pass, which connects Franschhoek and the towns of Grabouw and Villiersdorp, will be closed between 08:00 and 17:00 on weekdays for construction purposes.
The closures took effect on Tuesday 28 November and will be in place until Friday 15 December. The pass will then be open (with the proceed-when-safe arrangement and weight restriction) until 7 January 2024 and closed again from 8 January to the end of February.
The pass was reopened to select categories of light motor vehicles after it was closed following a severe weather system that hit the Western Cape during the Heritage Day long weekend. Repair teams started working on temporary repairs as soon as the engineering team was satisfied that the landslips had stabilised sufficiently to start work.
The Western Cape Department of Infrastructure reports that works have reached a point where the pass must be closed daily to initiate the soil-nailing process of phase 1.
Soil nailing is a technique used to stabilise existing slopes. This soil reinforcement process uses metal tendons which are drilled and grouted into the soil to create something that represents a gravity wall. For this to be done the pass needs to be closed due to the size of the equipment used and the size of the working area required.
Light motor vehicles will be able to traverse the pass outside of closure times. The use of the pass, even during times when the pass is open, by vehicles with a mass of more than 5 tons remain strictly prohibited. Road users are strongly advised to continue using alternative routes.
Provincial Minister of Infrastructure Tertuis Simmers expressed his concerns over the non-compliance of road users. “The blatant disregard of road signs and restrictions by some road users is a serious concern,” he cautioned. “We have received numerous reports of interlink heavy motor vehicles accessing the pass despite clear signage prohibiting such acts. This reckless behaviour compromises the repair works and negatively impacts the entire repair process.
“What is a further concern is that, should these trucks disregard the signage and get to the closure points during the closure periods they will be stuck there until the road reopens because there isn’t any space to turn around.
“I am aware of the inconvenience the closure has had on the local community and visitors and the impact the weight limitation has. However, the safety of all road users remains our primary concern.”
Work on permanent repairs continues. The department foresees it will still be a considerable period before the pass will allow two-way traffic.