Vital Access Road to Citrusdal Reopened

On Monday, 8 September 2025, Western Cape Minister of Infrastructure, Tertuis Simmers, reopened Main Road 310 (MR310) which connects the West Coast town of Citrusdal to the N7 highway. This vital access road was severely damaged following severe flood events on 13 June 2023 and 11 July 2024 that caused the nearby riverbank to burst and the course of the Olifants River to change, washing away much of the road in the process.

The town of Citrusdal, a major citrus-growing area, was particularly hard-hit and was cut off from vital transport links, which had a significant impact on the local economy, and the wellbeing of residents. The reconstruction of the MR310 was declared an emergency repair project for humanitarian reasons, with a key focus on restoring access and creating a more flood-resilient road, capable of better handling future flood events.

The riverbank was first to be repaired, after which significant work was completed on the road itself. This included the placing of new base layers and erosion protection works, as well as the replacement and upgrading of the road’s box culvert. The new culvert will be capable of effectively handling a 20-year design flood, thus lessening the risk of further damage to the road as the Western Cape experiences increasingly wet winters.

“The cost of these works in the 2023/24 financial year was R12.2 million, and an estimated R26 million was spent on this project in the 2024/25 financial year”, said Provincial Minister Simmers.

“We understand infrastructure works, in this case transport infrastructure works, to be an enabler of economic growth and a support to the important citrus industry of the Western Cape”, he added. “With this project, we have done more than simply replace a road. We have instead rebuilt it and upgraded it for the demands of the future, ensuring that Citrusdal’s link to the Western Cape’s transport ecosystem remains unaffected for years to come.”