Several government authorities have teamed up to attend to the flooding on the N1 near the Sable Road off-ramp, in Cape Town.
The lane closures on the inbound and outbound sides of the N1 led to significant traffic congestion in recent days, particularly at the junction where traffic merges from the N7 southbound into town. This follows the persistent heavy rains over the past two weeks.
The Western Cape Government’s Department of Infrastructure says it was forced to implement lane closures as pools of water formed on the roadway, posing a safety hazard to motorists.
A wetland adjacent to the N1 near Century City exacerbated the flooding issue. Spokesperson, Ntobeko Mbingeleli, says the saturated ground is absorbing water slowly, adding pressure to the stormwater infrastructure. The overflow from the wetland has further inundated the N1 road reserve, which has not been able to cope with the excessive water volume.
The department says engineering teams are actively working on-site to better the stormwater drainage process. These efforts include clearing earth drains and utilising high-pressure cleaning for pipe culverts. Mbingeleli says it is also collaborating with other organs of state to resolve the issue.
“Our engineering teams have liaised with the City of Cape Town [PRASA, South African National Defense Force (Ysterplaat Airforce Base)] and other organs of state, to attempt to tap into other existing systems to allow for the N1 stormwater drainage system to recover before the next major storm event.”
In the spirit of cooperative governance, the City assisted the Western Cape Government in decanting water that flooded the N1 near the Sable Road off-ramp. In this video, Mayco for #UrbanMobility Cllr @RobQuintas explains the nature of assistance brought by the City.#CTNews pic.twitter.com/RRVlnKGgxf
— City of Cape Town (@CityofCT) July 23, 2024
Despite these efforts, Mbingeleli says the timeline for reopening all lanes remains uncertain. This is especially in light of weather warnings of an incoming cold front for the weekend.
READ MORE: Capetonians in for more heavy rains this weekend
“Road users are asked to use alternative routes, if possible, when heading towards the Cape Town city centre or Century City, and factor in a significant amount of additional travel time, and to avoid any non-essential travel along this route for the time being.”
The Infrastructure Department says it is taking a three-phase approach to attend to the issue, which in the short term is mainly to ensure the safety of motorists. Mbingeleli says longer-term solutions include expanding the capacity of both the wetland and the stormwater system.
