Western Cape authorities say they expect increased traffic volumes on the N1 Highway out of Cape Town at the start of the school holidays.
That’s as many roads, including the N2 Highway at Botiver in the Overberg, remain closed after the recent flooding in the province.
The provincial Department of Mobility launched its Transport Month at the Huguenot Toll Plaza on the N-1 highway outside Paarl.
Authorities say they have made good progress with reopening roads that were closed in the province due to the recent flooding. The Overberg region has been described as a quick win, particularly around Villiersdorp, where single-lane traffic is now operational.
Coastal roads servicing, among others, Betty’s Bay and Pringle Bay are also open.
The town of McGregor, however, remains cut off.
Jandre Bakker of the WC department of infrastructure says, “Our teams will be working on that through the weekend. So we can hopefully start getting access to the town by Monday. We have an emergency entry into town for humanitarian relief should that be needed so we have some good news in that respect. The N2 at Botrivier will remain closed for quite some time so the alternative route via the R60, Ashtton, Swellendam will remain a key route for us.”
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“Two days ago, we had 87 roads closed. We are down to 68 roads. It’s an incredible achievement, particularly on our big roads because that’s where communities are wanting resources. Government assistance like food, ambulances need to get in and disaster management and more importantly our engineers need to get into those areas to assess the damage in those areas,” adds Ricardo Mackenzie the Western Cape MEC for Mobility.
Safety for all modes of transport
The Department of Mobility has thanked traffic officials for their contribution over what was described as a difficult period.
It says the focus of this Transport Month, leading into the festive season, will be safety for all modes of transport.
Mackenzie says pedestrian safety is also a top priority.
