Causeway to close for repairs

Causeway to close for repairs

The causeway to Paradise Beach will be closed to vehicles and pedestrian traffic for about three months while flood repairs are being done.

Kouga Municipal Manager Sidney Fadi said torrential rains and flooding during 2012 had caused significant structural damage to the causeway that connects Paradise Beach to Aston Bay and Jeffreys Bay.

The municipality applied for disaster management grant funding to repair the causeway and was awarded just more than R2-million.

Fadi said a contractor had been appointed and that work was expected to start on February 5.     

“Once work starts, the causeway will have to be closed to traffic. We have had lengthy discussions with the contractor and, unfortunately, this cannot be prevented.”

He said motorists would have to make use of the gravel road that connects Paradise Beach to the R102 between Humansdorp and Jeffreys Bay for this period. The municipality will be grading the road to accommodate the increase in traffic.

A temporary walkway will also be constructed across the Seekoei River to accommodate those without vehicles.

Fadi gave affected residents the assurance that the municipality would do all in its power to minimise inconvenience to them.

“We have met with the residents’ associations of both Paradise Beach and Aston Bay to discuss the closure. They will be helping us to monitor the situation so that any problems which may arise, can be addressed speedily.”