N2 Road Closures Between George, Wilderness & Knysna For the Period:up to 2 Oct 2006

[Ming]

The following road repair and closure will take place over the period 07 August 2006 to 21 August 2006:

George to Wilderness(Caution)
Section 1 (km 28,90 to km 30,80) (section starts at Rademachers) Two-way traffic accommodation will be maintained. No stoppages and delays to be expected. Street light electrification will take place from Rademachers to Victoria Bay access. Shoulder closures to be expected during day-time.

Kaaimans Pass (Closed see article below)
The number of traffic lanes in Kaaimans Pass has been reduced to one lanes. One-way traffic accommodation will be maintained. Roadworks on lefthand lanes have commenced. The section at Kaaimans River Bridge was narrowed to two lanes due to flood damage. A large piece of the pass has broken away, the slide could damage the bridge.

Wilderness
Section 2 (N2/7 km 31,10 to km 32,3): Two-way traffic accommodation on narrowed lanes. The section between Dolphin Point and Wilderness is narrowed to two lanes due to rock falls as a result of the heavy rains.

Section 2 (N2/7 km 32,3 to km 41,30): The eastbound carriageway has been closed for construction. Two-way traffic will be accommodated on the westbound carriageway on narrowed lanes. Construction activities will change within this week from the westbound carriageway to the eastbound carriageway and two-traffic will be accommodated on the newly constructed westbound carriageway.

The view point at Dolphins Point has also been temporarily closed to all traffic until construction activities have been completed in the area. The access road from the N2 to the station and Sand Road will be closed alternatively during the construction of the eastbound carriageway.

Wilderness to Sedgefield
Section 3 (km 38,3 to km 41,3) (just east of Wilderness): No delays to be expected.

White Bridge to Knysna
One-way traffic accommodation during the daytime only to allow emergency works to continue during the next week to cleat up debris and soil on the road.

Expect delays up to 20 minutes.

Kleinkrans / Die Vleie / Langvlei dunes
Section 4 (N2/7 km 41,30 to km 45,30): Road marking will take place on this section. Stop/go during the daytime as final asphalt surfacing will commence during this week.

Swartvlei
Section 7 (N2/7 km 51,30 to km 54,30 & N2/8 km 0,0 to km 2,30). Two-way traffic accommodation with no delays.

Sedgefield
Section 8 (N2/8 km 2,30 to km 6,30): Two-way traffic accommodation. No stoppages to be expected.

Section 9 (N2/8 km 6,3 to km 10,3): Two-way traffic accommodation. No stoppages to be expected.

Karatara/Goukamma
Section 10 (N2/8 km 10,3 to km 14,3): Two-way traffic accommodation. No stoppages to be expected.

Buffelsbaai to Rheenendal
Section 11 (N2/8 km 14.3 to km 18,3): Construction activities on the righthand side of the road while two-way traffic will be accommodated on the two narrowed lanes. No stoppages to be expected. A 60 km/h speed restriction is in place on this section.

Rheenendal and Belvedere
Section 12 (N2/8 km 18,30 to km 23,30) (Starts east from Goukamma past Rheenendal and ends at Belvedere Intersection). No delays expected.

General
If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact the Traffic Safety Officer, Basil Noordman on tel. 082 459 5946 for assistance.

[Ming]

George to Wilderness(Caution see article below)
Section 1 (km 28,90 to km 30,80) (section starts at Rademachers) Two-way traffic accommodation will be maintained. No stoppages and delays to be expected. Street light electrification will take place from Rademachers to Victoria Bay access. Shoulder closures to be expected during day-time.

Kaaimans Pass(closed see below)
The number of traffic lanes in Kaaimans Pass has been reduced to two lanes. Two-way traffic accommodation will be maintained. Roadworks on lefthand lanes have commenced. The section at Kaaimans River Bridge was narrowed to two lanes due to flood damage.

Wilderness
Section 2 (N2/7 km 31,10 to km 32,3): Two-way traffic accommodation on narrowed lanes. The section between Dolphin Point and Wilderness is narrowed to two lanes due to rock falls as a result of the heavy rains.

Section 2 (N2/7 km 32,3 to km 41,30): The westbound carriageway has been closed for construction. Two-way traffic will be accommodated on the eastbound carriageway on the newly constructed eastbound carriageway narrowed lanes.

The view point at Dolphins Point has also been temporarily closed to all traffic until construction activities have been completed in the area. The access road from the N2 to the station and Sand Road will be closed alternatively during the construction of the eastbound carriageway.

Wilderness to Sedgefield
Section 3 (km 38,3 to km 41,3) (just east of Wilderness): No delays to be expected.

Kleinkrans / Die Vleie / Langvlei dunes
Section 4 (N2/7 km 41,30 to km 45,30): No road markings. One-way traffic accommodation by means of Stop/Go during the daytime as final asphalt surfacing is constructed during this week.

Swartvlei
Section 7 (N2/7 km 51,30 to km 54,30 & N2/8 km 0,0 to km 2,30). Two-way traffic accommodation with no delays.

Sedgefield
Section 8 (N2/8 km 2,30 to km 6,30): Two-way traffic accommodation. No stoppages to be expected.

Section 9 (N2/8 km 6,3 to km 10,3): Two-way traffic accommodation. No stoppages to be expected.

Karatara/Goukamma
Section 10 (N2/8 km 10,3 to km 14,3): Two-way traffic accommodation. No stoppages to be expected.

Buffelsbaai to Rheenendal
Section 11 (N2/8 km 14.3 to km 18,3): Construction activities on the westbound lanes of the road while two-way traffic will be accommodated on the two narrowed lanes. No stoppages to be expected. A 60 km/h speed restriction is in place on this section.

Rheenendal and Belvedere
Section 12 (N2/8 km 18,30 to km 23,30) (Starts east from Goukamma past Rheenendal and ends at Belvedere Intersection). No delays expected.

White Bridge to Knysna
One-way traffic accommodation during the daytime only to allow emergency works to continue during the next week to clean up debris and soil on the road. Temporary road surface repairs is ongoing this week.

Expect delays up to 10 minutes.

[Ming]

Residents of the small Wilderness village waited anxiously for a large piece of the N2 road along the Kaaiman's River Pass to slide into the sea, with some sections possibly damaging the railway bridge of the Outeniqua Choo Tjoe before plunging into the Kaaiman’s River. The SA National Roads Agency sent out expert engineers to rule on the future of the N2 between George and the Wilderness, their decision could have enormous implications for the area's thriving tourism trade.

The heavy downpours have caused a vast section of lower Kaaiman’s mountain pass about 195m long, 110m wide and over a hundred metres high to break away from the mountain side. Thousands of people queued in long lines of up to 400 cars to take the only usable route between the George and the Wilderness, which had to be also repaired last night. This route is only good for light vehicles and is too narrow for two-way traffic, so it is managed by stop/go system.

Locals contemplate just how vast an impact the closure of this crucial stretch of road will have on the Gem of the Garden Route, should the piece of land collapse it will isolate the Wilderness causing severe damage to the much needed tourism industry. The rebuilding of the Kaaiman’s Pass mountainside could easily take up to six months.

[Ming]

A single lane of the N2 which was damaged was opened at Kaaiman's River pass last night in bringing some relief to motorists in the garden route Wilderness area.

Engineers are sticking to their forecast that a huge chunk of land near Dolphin Point will slip into the sea, the slip is still moving, at 2mm per hour. They are expecting it to carry on slipping until it falls into the sea. The road has been closed since last Friday.


"The Kaaiman's road has been opened, but one lane only, using a "stop-go" system.
The size of vehicles is limited to passenger vehicles and a maximum of five tons for trucks, accommodating trucks used by small businesses as well as taxis.

Engineers on the scene said they were still worried about more rock falls or mudslides above the road - especially after lashing rain yesterday. Motorists traveling between George and Wilderness still face delays, but now have two choices: the lane on Kaaiman's Pass or the Seven Passes road past Saasveld forestry school.

Detours over the Langkloof Pass are costing trucking companies extra on fuel having to make the extra 400 km journey.

People who intend travelling from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth should rather use the N1 to Beaufort West, Aberdeen, Graaff-Reinet and onwards to Port Elizabeth. That route is about 70km longer than turning off at George and travelling the Langkloof Route.

[Ming]

Garden Route's tourism industry has been granted huge relief by a decision to allow tour buses over the damaged Kaaimans River Pass.

The pass between George and Wilderness has been closed for three weeks after heavy rains caused part of the pass to start slipping into the sea hundreds of metres below.

Initial assessments were that the pass was too unstable to allow traffic. But now scientists have discovered that the lanes of the pass on the landward side, against the rock face, are resting on a solid bed of rock that is unlikely to move.

South African National Roads Agency has re-opened a single lane a fortnight ago. Then heavy-duty traffic was allowed between 6pm and 6am. Now, after pleading from the tourism industry, tour buses have been given the green light to use the pass between 10am and 11am daily.

All traffic still has to queue to use the single lane, however, and the "stop-go" system still causes delays of up to an hour in each direction.


Since the pass closed, tour buses have been forced to take inland detours of up to four hours, severely restricting tourist traffic into coastal towns like Wilderness and Knysna. Some tour operators have chosen to by-pass Knysna altogether in favour of Plettenberg Bay.

Eden District Municipality's Gerhard Otto explained that the 10am-11am window had been chosen to suit tourism companies best.

"Tourists get up at 8am, have breakfast and are in their buses by 10," he explained. The window worked for tourist bus traffic in both directions.

Otto said the area was now firmly "open for business".

"You just need to plan a bit. We should now be as close as possible to normal."

The ban on heavy trucks weighing over five tons remains, to reduce the length of queues during the day.

[Ming]

Period 04 September 2006 to 18 September 2006 is as follows:

George to Kaaimans Pass
Section 1 (km 28,90 to km 30,80) (section starts at Rademachers) Two-way traffic accommodation will be maintained. No stoppages and delays to be expected. Street light electrification will take place from Rademachers to Victoria Bay access. Shoulder closures to be expected during day-time.

Kaaimans Pass
Kaaimans Pass is currently open to one-way traffic only with a load restriction of 5 tonne as a result of the instability of the cuttings in the pass and the collapsing road fill near Dolphin's Point. Waiting periods of 40 minutes to be expected. Heavier vehicles are re-routed on the Langkloof road (Road R62). Vehicles are escorted through the pass to maintain speed limits and to ensure public safety.

Maintenance work is in process on the Saasveld road and may be used as an alternative in case of emergency in Kaaimans Pass.

Motorists are requested to be cautious and to obey traffic signs.

Wilderness
Section 2 (N2/7 km 32,3 to km 41,30): The westbound carriageway has been closed for construction. Two-way traffic will be accommodated on the eastbound carriageway on the newly constructed eastbound carriageway narrowed lanes.

The access road from the N2 to the station and Sand Road will be closed alternatively during the construction of the eastbound carriageway.

Wilderness to Sedgefield
Section 3 (km 38,3 to km 41,3) (just east of Wilderness): No delays to be expected.

Kleinkrans / Die Vleie / Langvlei dunes
Section 4 (N2/7 km 41,30 to km 45,30): No road markings. One-way traffic accommodation by means of Stop/Go during the daytime as final asphalt surfacing is constructed during this week.

Swartvlei
Section 7 (N2/7 km 51,30 to km 54,30 & N2/8 km 0,0 to km 2,30). Two-way traffic accommodation with no delays.

Sedgefield
Section 8 (N2/8 km 2,30 to km 6,30): Two-way traffic accommodation. No stoppages to be expected.

Section 9 (N2/8 km 6,3 to km 10,3): Construction work will commence on Wednesday 06 September 2006 and one-way traffic accommodation will be done during daytime only. Waiting periods of up to 10 minutes to be expected. No stoppages to be expected during night time.

Karatara/Goukamma
Section 10 (N2/8 km 10,3 to km 14,3): Two-way traffic accommodation. No stoppages to be expected.

Buffelsbaai to Rheenendal
Section 11 (N2/8 km 14.3 to km 18,3): Construction activities on the westbound lanes of the road while two-way traffic will be accommodated on the two narrowed lanes. No stoppages to be expected. A 60 km/h speed restriction is in place on this section.

Rheenendal and Belvedere
Section 12 (N2/8 km 18,30 to km 23,30) (Starts east from Goukamma past Rheenendal and ends at Belvedere Intersection). No delays expected.

White Bridge to Knysna
One-way traffic accommodation during the daytime only to allow emergency works to continue during the next week to clean up debris and soil on the road. Temporary road surface repairs is ongoing this week.

Expect delays up to 10 minutes.

General
Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact the Traffic Safety Officer, Basil Noordman on tel. 082 459 5946 for assistance. In case of emergency you may contact the relevant emergency service.

[Ming]

George to Kaaimans Pass
Section 1 (km 28,90 to km 30,80) (section starts at Rademachers) Two-way traffic accommodation will be maintained. No stoppages and delays to be expected. Street light electrification takes place from Rademachers to Victoria Bay access. Shoulder closures to be expected during day-time.

Kaaimans Pass
Kaaimans Pass is currently open to one-way traffic only with a weight restriction of 8 tons between 06h00 and 18h00 and 45 tons between 18h00 and 06h00 as a result of the instability of the cuttings in the pass and the collapsing road fill near Dolphin’s Point. From Friday, 22 September 2006 Kaaimans Pass will be opened to one-way traffic only with a weight restrict of 45 tonne. Waiting periods of 45 minutes to be expected. Heavier vehicles are re-routed on the Langkloof road (Road R62). Vehicles are escorted through the pass to maintain speed limits and to ensure public safety.

Maintenance work is in process on the Saasveld Road and the road is presently closed to all traffic.

Motorists are requested to be cautious and to obey traffic signs.

Wilderness
Section 2 (N2/7 km 32,3 to km 41,30): The westbound carriageway has been closed for construction. Two-way traffic will be accommodated on the eastbound carriageway on the newly constructed eastbound carriageway narrowed lanes.

The access road from the N2 to the station and Sand Road will be closed alternatively during the construction of the eastbound carriageway.

Wilderness to Sedgefield
Section 3 (km 38,3 to km 41,3) (just east of Wilderness): No delays to be expected.

Kleinkrans / Die Vleie / Langvlei dunes
Section 4 (N2/7 km 41,30 to km 45,30): No road markings. One-way traffic accommodation by means of Stop/Go during the daytime as final asphalt surfacing is in process. Waiting periods of 10 minutes to be expected during day times only.

Swartvlei
Section 7 (N2/7 km 51,30 to km 54,30 & N2/8 km 0,0 to km 2,30). Two-way traffic accommodation with no delays.

Sedgefield
Section 8 (N2/8 km 2,30 to km 6,30): Two-way traffic accommodation. No stoppages to be expected.

Section 9 (N2/8 km 6,3 to km 10,3): Construction work will commence later this week and one-way traffic accommodation will be done during daytime only. Waiting periods of up to 10 minutes to be expected. No stoppages to be expected during night time.

Karatara/Goukamma
Section 10 (N2/8 km 10,3 to km 14,3): Two-way traffic accommodation. No stoppages to be expected.

Buffelsbaai to Rheenendal
Section 11 (N2/8 km 14.3 to km 18,3): Construction activities on the westbound lanes of the road while two-way traffic will be accommodated on the two narrowed lanes. No stoppages to be expected. A 60 km/h speed restriction is in place on this section.

Rheenendal and Belvedere
Section 12 (N2/8 km 18,30 to km 23,30) (Starts east from Goukamma past Rheenendal and ends at Belvedere Intersection). No delays expected.

White Bridge to Knysna
One-way traffic accommodation during the daytime only to allow emergency works to continue during the next week to clean up debris and soil on the road. Temporary road surface repairs is ongoing this week.

Expect delays up to 10 minutes.

General
Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact the Traffic Safety Officer, Basil Noordman on tel. 082 459 5946 for assistance. In case of emergency you may contact the relevant emergency service.

For information on all road closures and traffic delays a SMS information service has been introduced. From this date a SMS can be send to the telephone no. 35313 with the keyword “George” or “Knysna” (R3-00 per SMS). Users can also subscribe to the SMS information service, which will then notify them whenever a change occurs in the traffic conditions on the road, waiting periods, accidents and/or road closures. To subscribe to the SMS information service, SMS any of the above keywords to phone no. 40313. The cost for subscribing is R20-00 and for that users will receive at least 20 SMS’s in response. It is however pointed out that SANRAL shall not be liable for any loss or damage arising from the SMS service.

Additional information can be obtained from the Joint Operational Centre in George at tel. no. 044 - 8031567 or 044 – 8031566 regarding Kaaimans Pass and alternative routes.
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[craigieji]

Thanks, Ming. Heading up to the Kei on sunday, and it sure is useful to have info on the whole george/wilderness sector.
Praises

[Ming]

Motorists travelling between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth have been encouraged to use the N1 to Beaufort West, then take the R61 to Graaff Reinet and the R75 to the coast.

The warning comes after heavy rains in the Southern Cape.

The Eden District Municipality said yesterday that the N2 at Kaaimans River, between George and Wilderness, was still partially closed with only one lane open for traffic.

"Currently, only a section of 900 metres is still restricted to one lane, with stop-and-go access under supervision of an escort vehicle. The rest of the pass has been opened up for double lane traffic," said the municipality in a statement.

The pass was declared accessible for all vehicles with a maximum weight of 45 tons last Friday.

Waiting time to pass through the Kaaimans Pass will vary between 30 minutes and an hour during peak times.

Meanwhile heavy rainfall was wreaking havoc in parts of the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal yesterday, causing accidents, washing away roads and threatening the homes of shack dwellers.

About 30 accidents occurred in the Eastern Cape alone due to wet and misty conditions and snowfalls have closed the Rhodes-Mount Fletcher road and the Matatiele-Lesotho road through the Ongeluksnek border gate.

In one incident, the OR Tambo disaster management services had to retrieve a car which was found stuck in a flooded river in Mthatha.

While motorists who were involved in car accidents in the area escaped unscathed, shack dwellers in Corona outside Mthatha were under threat of losing their homes.

A stand at which the community makes bricks has been washed away due to rising levels of the Mthatha River.

Meanwhile in KwaZulu-Natal, the N2 near Port Shepstone was washed away when a dam burst, causing the road to "cave in".

"The sudden deluge left a gaping hole 30 metres wide and 10m deep," officials said.

As a result, traffic had to be diverted along an 8km tarred farm road, causing delays between Port Shepstone and Harding.

The road was likely to be out of action for several weeks.