The City’s Urban Mobility Directorate can confirm that several processes are under way to ensure the repair work to a section of Kloof Road can commence in 2025. The section between Kloof Nek Road and Round House Road has been closed to traffic since the long weekend of 24 September 2023 in the interest of public safety, due to damage caused during a Level-9 storm.

Kloof Road is one of the access routes that links the City Bowl with the Atlantic Seaboard suburbs of Camps Bay, Clifton, Bantry Bay and Sea Point.

The City’s Urban Mobility Directorate has been working hard behind the scenes in getting the necessary statutory processes under way – these are mostly related to environmental and other approvals for the repair work to be undertaken.

‘We are well aware of the importance of this access route, and the inconvenience the closure is causing. Although no visible work is happening at the site at the moment, I can assure residents that we are making great progress to ensure the repairs can commence late next year.

‘Given that the road is located in a national park and the environmental sensitivity of the natural area, the City is by law required to obtain approvals from a number of state departments before we can touch this site. A critical part of this process is also to allow the public the opportunity to comment on the environmental impact the work may have.

‘The City, as a law abiding and accountable administration, will comply with the National Environmental Management Act, and are committed to due diligence. There are no shortcuts here, and I want to thank residents and the public for their understanding, patience, and support. We are doing all we can to expedite the processes, and will keep the public informed of our progress in coming months,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Mobility, Councillor Rob Quintas.

Background

The section between Kloof Nek Road and Round House Road has been closed to traffic since the long weekend of 24 September 2023 in the interest of public safety after the embankment supporting Kloof Road was destabilised, making it unsafe to carry a load. Unfortunately, further damage occurred this past winter when heavy rainfall caused an additional slip failure.

Progress to date

·       The City has appointed several service providers to assist with the project amongst which a geotechnical specialist and environmental specialist and engineers to design the road rehabilitation work and stormwater infrastructure

·       Geotechnical investigations comprising the drilling of boreholes, sampling of soils and laboratory testing were completed in May 2024

·       Investigations defined the ground conditions and material properties for the design of the stabilisation and rehabilitation

·       Detailed survey and results of the investigations were used to analyse the stability of the slope and develop an appropriate design solution, with detailed design drawings

·       The results of the soil samples informed the concept design

·       The concept design of the preferred solution was completed in August 2024

·       The slip that occurred after the winter of 2024 will also be included in the works with similar concept design

Challenges

•        Due to the magnitude of the slip, remedial actions will take time

•        Given that Kloof Road is located within Table Mountain National Park and along a natural watercourse (stream), environmental processes are triggered and a Water Use Licence will be required

•        Environmental authorisation is required in terms of the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) before any construction/repair work can start

•        Kloof Road is built on land that is owned and managed by SANParks, as such the City needs the landowner’s consent in all of the above processes

•        Various services are located along Kloof Road such as fibre optic, water mains, and so forth. These will have to be relocated or worked around and maintained while the repair work is ongoing

•        There are large trees in the area where the road collapsed and these will have to be removed before work can start

•        The terrain is very steep

•        Access to the site is going to be a huge challenge, given that the construction work will have to happen from the bottom of the kloof upward towards the road and there is no access road to the bottom

•        Given the environmental sensitivity of the area, access cannot just be built with heavy machinery, and getting the required machinery and materials to the bottom is going to pose many logistical challenges

Environmental processes

·       The environmental impact assessment is based on the remedial concept design that was completed in August 2024, as such, the two processes could not run parallel

·       SANParks is the owner of the land below the slip and the City is working with SANParks on various aspects of this project

·       Botany, Fauna and Freshwater specialists have been appointed

·       The basic assessment process has started in terms of the NEMA to obtain approval to construct the geotechnical remedial actions

What is happening next

The basic impact assessment as required by the NEMA will take about nine to 12 months. The specialist studies will focus on the impact the repair work may have on fynbos, freshwater ecology, and butterflies.

The City will also apply for a Water Licence from the National Department of Water and Sanitation in terms of the National Water Act.

Once the above has been concluded and approvals obtained, the City will advertise the construction contract for the repair work.

Timeframes

·       It will take at least 12 months to obtain the necessary approvals in terms of the Water Act and NEMA, if there are no delays or appeals

·       Given the scale of the work and challenges around the construction of the project, the work itself will take at least 10 months to complete pending any delays or unforeseen circumstances

·       Importantly, the City can only repair what has been damaged, and cannot add additional improvements such as walking and cycle lanes

·       It is impossible to give an exact date at this point in time as we first need to comply with statutory processes, but given the constraints and challenges, Kloof Road is likely to remain closed for at least another 24 months

‘We are pushing to get the work started in the last quarter of 2025 at the latest. It is important to stress that the start date depends on the outcome of processes beyond the City’s control, in particular those related to the NEMA. We are working closely with all stakeholders and will keep the public informed of our progress, safe to say that the road is likely to remain closed for another 24 months at least,’ said Councillor Quintas. 

Supplied by: City of Cape Town