Clarence Drive (R44) closed for emergency repairs

Cape Town - Clarence Drive (the R44) between the Grill Shack and Steenbras Dam Mountain Pass will be closed from 8am to 6pm every day, as of Wednesday, for emergency slope stabilisation repairs following heavy rains.

The provincial department of public works and transport on Tuesday said the section will be closed from February 1-16 during which access to the Grill Shack will only be possible from the Rooi Els side.

“Heavy rains on December 11 and 12 last year caused the slopes above this section of the R44 to become unstable,” the department said in a statement.

“The slope stabilisation repairs will be done by Civils 2000 (Pty) Ltd and are scheduled to be complete by March 19 2023.”

Motorists have been advised to use alternative routes where possible.

“We know that residents and visitors to the Western Cape enjoy using this scenic road between Gordon’s Bay and Rooi Els. For that reason, we assessed the safety of the road and decided to allow single-lane traffic on Clarence Drive during the festive season.

“Now that the holidays are over, we are undertaking slope stabilisation repairs in order to restore full two-way traffic along this important road.”

The nature of the terrain and the size of the specialised equipment required to stabilise the slopes requires the road to be temporarily closed in order to ensure the safety of road users.

Cape Times