It has been nearly a year since large parts of the Hemel-en-Aarde Road, connecting Hermanus and Caledon, were washed away during the devastating storms at the end of September 2023.
The Hemel-en-Aarde road was reopened for one-way traffic in November 2023, shortly before the start of the busy December holiday season, bringing great relief to the agricultural and tourism sector dependent on the route.
But since then, road users say, things have not improved much with at least two stop-and-go points still in place along this busy route.
“These stop-and-go points have been moved from one place to another, but despite this I haven’t seen much work being done,” said one road user. “I use this road daily at different times of the day and have noticed over a period of months now that very little work seems to be taking place, whether it’s raining or not.”
A Hemel-en-Aarde Valley resident says they are further frustrated by the lack of communication on updates from the Provincial Department of Infrastructure, Baseline and its sub-contractors and the engineers involved in the road repair project.
“At one stage we managed to build a good relationship with the guys working on the ground who would provide some answers regarding what was happening, but now we are struggling once again with one department referring us to the next,” he stated.
Users of this route who suffer the most, he said, are those travelling from Caledon and Tesselaarsdal daily for work in Hermanus or to transport their kids to school. “Sometimes when you’re lucky you have to wait between 5-10 minutes at the stop-and-go while other times you have to wait up to 20 minutes.”
He explained that repairs on the stretch between Bouchard Finlayson and Bartho Eksteen involving a new layer of tar being laid on the stretch where the stop-and-go system is in place, were supposed to have been completed at the end of last year if it hadn’t been for another storm that caused further damage to the road.
“Last week they finally started tarring the one lane on that stretch, now they have to tar the other lane,” he explained.
He added that residents and businesses in the Valley are a bit apprehensive about the peak December holiday season fast approaching. “Visitors are good for business but it will put extra pressure on road users and probably prolong waiting times at the stop-and-go points unless the resurfacing of the stretch between Bouchard Finlayson and Bartho Eksteen is completed by then,” he said.
Another concern for motorists travelling on the Hemel-en-Aarde road is the lack of road signs, rumble strips and lights at Appeldraai, a tight bend near La Vierge where a number of accidents have occurred.
“This was one of the topics addressed in a petition that was drawn up and signed by approximately 610 people a couple of months ago. The other point was the lack of communication regarding developments.”
The Department of Infrastructure did not respond to calls, numerous emails and messages asking for updates regarding the Hemel-en-Aarde road repairs and the expected completion date.
In a letter addressed to the chair of the Hemel-en-Aarde Winegrowers Association, dated 23 August 2024 and signed by the Infrastructure Head of Department, the DOI apologised for the delay in communication, stating “the recent unprecedented flood damages across the vast length of the Western Cape Road network, led to the need for re-programming of works attending to what’s urgent, and also the need for revised scoping and revised construction methodologies . . .”
It also states that the commencement of repairs to damaged infrastructure along the lower portion of the Hemel-en-Aarde road is in the detailed design phase with a planned commencement date of mid-November 2024.
