The South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) would like to update road users on the status of repairs to the N2 section 2 at Botrivier, where a portion of the road washed away when the Bot River burst its banks during the recent heavy rains experienced in the Western Cape. The N2 remains closed in Botrivier where elevated water levels continue to impact this section of the road, posing a hazard to motorists.
Repair works are currently underway, with earthmoving equipment already on site. The first order of business, was for the contractor to re-channel the river along its original waterway, in order to gain access to the portion of the N2 that was washed away. This involved digging trenches and bringing in rockfill materials.
To date, the first two layers of rockfill have successfully been laid and the erosion gap effectively closed. On Wednesday, roughly 600m³ of rockfill was laid, followed by 1 300m³ on Thursday and 1000m³ on Friday. A further 750m³ on Saturday 14 October 2023.
The team has been working under extended hours until at least 22h00 every night since repairs began a week ago, and have continued to work throughout the weekend.
“We hope to complete the repairs over the next four or so weeks, and provide thoroughfare access as soon as possible. We remain hopeful that no further rains will hamper progress with repairs,” said Randall Cable, SANRAL’s Western Region Manager.
