Sir Lowry's Pass was named after colonial governor Sir Galbraith Lowry Cole, who commissioned a route to enable Overberg farmers to take their produce to the Cape Town market. Picture: Robin Clark
Cape Town - The South African National Roads Agency’s (SANRAL) specialised slope stabilisation project is under way on the N2 in Sir Lowry’s Pass.
The R31 million project ensures safer passage for road users and will serve as an economic boost for the connecting Overberg District Municipality.
According to SANRAL, roads in South Africa are well over 40 to 50 years old, and therefore such maintenance projects are vital to ensuring safety for road users.
The construction on the route began in January 2022. It involved removing loose rocks, drilling and grouting in some 600 threaded steel anchors, varying in length between 10m and 15m and then placing rock-filled gabions in 3-meter lifts, which are held in place by the rock anchors.
“This work is necessitated by the long-term weathering that has occurred on a 300m stretch of exposed cut-face on the mountainside of the N2, some 400m after the hairpin bend when ascending the pass from the Gordons Bay approach,” said Senzo Ngobese, SANRAL project manager.
The road agency says that 1.4km lane closures are currently in place along the route, which will only resume at the end of May when the project concludes. The closures allow for advance warning signage and tapering and give the contractor sufficient working space while stabilising the slope of the rock cutting. Two-way traffic will be maintained throughout the construction period.
“SANRAL apologies for any inconvenience caused by the roadworks. We appeal to road users to be vigilant, patient and compliant with speed restrictions in the construction area. The long-term benefit of safer passage by far outweigh the short-term inconvenience,” said Ngobese.
SANRAL also says that opportunities for subcontractors will be advertised soon for auxiliary works.
IOL