The City of Cape Town’s Urban Mobility Directorate has confirmed that Kloof Road, situated between Kloof Nek Road and Round House Road, will remain closed for repairs for an estimated period of 24 months.
This follows the route suffering “extreme storm damage” after a level-nine storm swept through the area on 24 September 2023.
The construction will affect many residents who frequently use Kloof Road for commuting and will impact other routes serving Clifton, Camps Bay, and the rest of the destinations along the Atlantic Seaboard as more traffic is diverted to these alternative roads, said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Mobility, Councillor Rob Quintas.
Not safe for public access
The sheer volume of rain experienced over the weekend of 24 September in an already saturated environment caused uncontrolled surface water runoff, which resulted in the instability of the embankment on which Kloof Road is built.
This in turn caused a slip failure of the slope and undermined a third of the lane heading towards Camps Bay, “meaning the road surface and underlying layers are currently unstable and therefore not safe for public access,” said Quintas.
At this stage, the City has launched a complete investigation into the rehabilitation of Kloof Road which includes soil testing and drilling to establish the best blueprint for the repairs.
“In order to repair the huge slip, the City’s Urban Mobility directorate needs to implement a design that will stabilise the ‘toe’ of the collapsed slope which will then allow for new material to be imported to fill the hole created by the slip,” said Quintas.
“This project may also require environmental authorisations which can be a lengthy process depending on the type of authorisations required. This will be determined in the investigation process that is currently underway, and if required, construction will be on hold until these are in place.”
As such, the estimated 24-month repair period may change depending on these variables.
“Residents are requested to please stay clear of this area as it is not safe for use. The safety of all road users is our main concern, thus, we will keep this road closed until further notice,” said Quintas.
The Transport Planning and Network Management branch is also working on finalising a traffic management plan ahead of the festive season in anticipation of traffic congestion in the area.
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