The Western Cape Department of Infrastructure (DOI) and its appointed professional team are making good progress on Contract C0964.02, the upgrading of Louis Fourie Road in Mossel Bay. This R520 million project over the anticipated 44 months is the largest provincial government investment in road infrastructure in the Garden Route District Municipality. The project is approximately 57% complete after concerted efforts to make up for time lost due to delays outside the control of the contractor. The project is on track to be completed by the end of the second quarter of the 2026/27 financial year.
“What has made this project challenging is that it is being implemented in an area with many underground services as well as ageing infrastructure such as asbestos cement sewer and water mains. The presence of ageing infrastructure caused delays because old services must be replaced due to their age and susceptibility to failure. It makes no sense to build a road and then, a few months later, dig up the new road to replace services,” said Tertuis Simmers, Western Cape Minister of Infrastructure.
“Other delays were caused by excavations revealing the presence of services that had been installed but had not been included in officially approved site plans. This required the professional team to find solutions to problems that could not have been anticipated when the project plan was developed. We had to work around critical infrastructure such as PetroSA, Telkom and Transnet Freight Rail infrastructure. We also had to work with public entities to secure their approval and cooperation during construction, including Transnet and the National Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment. The works around Garret Street were particularly challenging. Relocating Telkom cables to the outside of the new road prism was another significant issue but was completed on 7 March 2025”, Minister Simmers added.
Garret Street
Garret Street is as an important link to the industrial and commercial area of Mossel Bay, as well as between the residential suburbs of Bayview and Voorbaai. Currently there is restricted access to Bayview residents via Garret Street due to the lack of vehicle stacking distance as a result of the short distance between the Garret Street Railway Bridge construction zone and the Louis Fourie Road intersection. The volume of traffic could not be accommodated through Garret Street during construction without causing severe delays on Louis Fourie Road. As such, the construction team had no other choice but to consider the ‘needs of the many over the needs of the few’. Excavations here also revealed the presence of unknown services that were not on official plans and which therefore required the quick development of in situ engineering solutions. The impact of this was that this road had to be closed again after it had been opened during the festive season. The only access that could be allowed was access to local businesses.
The DOI and its professional team remain steadfast in their commitment to have Garret Street allow access to Bayview by 20 March 2025. “We remind road users that keeping this route open during construction is fully in their hands. If we find that road users speed through the construction zone, putting the workers at risk, we will have no choice but to close it again until works are fully completed,” warned Minister Simmers.
Timeline, milestones and job creation
The most recent figures, as of February 2025, show R35 million of the target of R85 million had been spent on this project. The target of 58 000 person days of work is also well on its way to being reached with the most recent verified figure standing at 31 000 person days of work created. This means 218 work opportunities have already been achieved of a target of 250. Additionally, the project is also making good progress in terms of its local subcontractor development programmes. Despite its challenges, the project has seen the appointment of 29 subcontract work packages to a total estimated value of more than R8 million so far. These specifically designed and dedicated subcontract work packages will increase as the project works progresses.
The key project milestone for this week includes reopening Garret Street for through traffic to Bayview.
Work has already started on the re-alignment of the Langeberg Mall entrance. If everything goes according to plan, the new on- and off-ramps from the N2 to the mall will be completed towards the end of April 2025. This means that the temporary on- and off-ramps adjacent to the Shell Service Station will no longer be required.
Good progress is expected in May 2025 on the new traffic circle towards Aalwyndal for the on- and off-ramps to the N2. The preparatory work on the traffic circle was an innovative way of helping to ensure that the project stayed on track. The project team optimised the use of time and resources by working on this section ahead of schedule while there were delays on other sections. This will make it possible for work on other sections to progress more quickly when it is possible to resume operations on those sections.
Another innovative use of time was to close the intersections at Beach Boulevard East and West and Industrie Road during construction. This allowed the team to complete works on the intersection quicker, enabling works to be completed within weeks, instead of months. We appreciate the cooperation of local businesses during this process.
The initial plan indicates the project should have been 63% complete. However, actual completion stands at 57%. This is a marked improvement over projections at the end of 2024, showing how every role player is actively working towards regaining lost time. This 44-month project is still on track to be completed by the end of the second quarter of the 2026/27 financial year.
Inconvenience to road users
The DOI is aware of the inconvenience the roadworks are causing. Louis Fourie Road was already under significant strain due to heavy traffic volumes (one of the main reasons for the upgrade) and there is a marked increase in traffic on a monthly basis which could be attributed to more people moving to the area. Driving through an active construction site is challenging. However, apart from the loss of some traffic flow capacity at certain intersections, the road has remained a single-lane, two-directional roadway for traffic throughout the construction period.
Petition on a pedestrian footpath from Sonskynvallei
The Minister added, “I have noted that some residents have started a petition against the construction of the new pedestrian footpath which connects Sonskynvallei to Hartenbos. It is disappointing that some are opposed to this.”
This matter was investigated, and it has been found that a footpath was on the approved plans which had been through a public participation process. The footpath falls within the proclaimed road reserve and is at an advanced construction stage. When it is complete, it will improve road safety for pedestrians and connect the community of Sonskynvallei to economic opportunities in Voorbaai. The foot path enhances pedestrian safety. It is located within the road reserve but as far away from the roadway as possible.
Thanking road users for their patience
The DOI wishes to thank road users for their patience. “We are confident that the long-term benefit will out-perform the short-term inconvenience of and that this investment in infrastructure will unlock more economic opportunities”, Minister Simmers concluded.
