A 35 km section of the R31 route between Daniëlskuil and Koopmansfontein, which plays an important role in the economy, was closed by the Northern Cape Department of Roads and Public Works last week after it had been flooded due to recent rain.
The administration of the provincial route, which is mainly used by the agricultural, mining and tourism sector, will be transferred to the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral), who will manage it as a national road.
The closure comes after certain sections of the R31 became impassable due to road shoulders gradually crumbling and eroding under the weight of haulage trucks and deep potholes forming, some “as deep as 1 m”.
Fufe Makatong, MEC, confirmed on Tuesday, 29 March, that the department had closed the relevant section of the R31 route the previous day due to safety concerns.
“One of the lanes washed away and the usable road surface has narrowed. The road cannot be repaired until the water has evaporated. We will be doing a thorough survey soon,” said Makatong.
“Some of the potholes have since been filled with gravel, but the engineers say it is still too dangerous to drive there. We will be repairing and resealing the road in the coming weeks. We have a budget for repairs in the next year. The province remains in control of the route until Sanral takes over the management.”
She recommended alternative routes such as the N12, N18 and the N14 to motorists, as well as dirt roads such as the R325 and the R385.
“The department will regularly grade and maintain the dirt roads, because we recommended it as alternative routes.”
The R31 route has deteriorated mainly due to the numerous ore trucks driving on this road.
“More than 2 000 trucks drive on the road every day. We have R600 million available in the medium-term budget to maintain roads and receive a grant to reseal the road regularly. However, it is not enough to strengthen the road’s foundation,” said Makatong.
