Minister Simmers is delighted with the urgent repairs as the Citrusdal Main Road (R303) reopens.
The Western Cape province was recently hit by severe storms which led to floods and major damage to infrastructure. The Citrusdal R303 was one of the worst affected roads during the recent floods in the area. Late Saturday afternoon the R303 was reopened to traffic.
Sections of the main road which connects Citrusdal with the N7 were destroyed when the Olifantsriver overflowed its banks. This damage led to portions of the Citrusdal community being cut off. The Western Cape Department of Infrastructure worked closely with the West Coast District Municipality to repair the road.
The work to repair and reopen the road took 10 days after being washed away. The work included repairing of a riverbank and section of road which was damaged by the flood. Traffic will travel on a gravel section for a short period while rebuild works continue.
Provincial Minister of Infrastructure Tertuis Simmers applauded the collaborative efforts between the spheres of government. The Executive Mayor of West Coast District Municipality, Alderman Boffie Strydom, said: “The is a product of effective and efficient collaboration between the district municipality, provincial government, Cederberg municipality and the private sector to get the job done. I am extremely proud of the team who worked on this project".
The repairs at affected roads continue and the Provincial Minister of Infrastructure Tertuis Simmers is thrilled at the rapid progress. “I am delighted and proud of the urgent delivery by our teams on the ground. The reopening of this road will not only reconnect a community to the rest of the province but will also see the resumption of economic activity. Hope in the Citrusdal area continues to be restored with greater access to essential services becoming available as well. Those that need to travel to Cape Town for scheduled medical procedures can now do so as planned.”
“I would like to extend my gratitude to all the stakeholders that came on board to assist in these communities' time of need” concluded Minister Simmers.
Media Enquiries:
Mr. Ntobeko Mbingeleli
Spokesperson for Minister Tertuis Simmers
E-mail: ntobeko.mbingeleli@westerncape.gov.za
Tel: 021 483 8067 (o)
Cell: 061 447 7851 (m)
