MEC Simmers says his dept trying to resolve flooding issue on N1 near Century City

CAPE TOWN - Motorists will have to brave heavy congestion on the N1 inbound near Century City a little while longer.

The wetland or vlei in that vicinity has reached capacity resulting in water spilling over onto the roadway since this past weekend.

This follows days of heavy rains that recently battered the Cape.

Authorities have had to close the left lane.

The Western Cape Department of Infrastructure says the road stormwater system was designed to deal with the road-related run-off and not for the additional pressure that the vlei adds.

Engineering teams have been on site to find alternative ways to supplement the stormwater drainage process.

Infrastructure MEC Tertuis Simmers is expected to visit the site on Thursday afternoon to inspect the restoration work underway to redirect and clear the waterlogged areas.

"I want to assure the public that our department is fully committed to resolving this issue as swiftly and efficiently as possible. The safety of our road users is our top priority, and we are deploying all available resources to manage the situation. We understand the inconvenience this causes and appreciate your patience and cooperation as we work through these challenges. Together, with our dedicated teams and
partners, we will restore normalcy to this critical route."

Simmers said it was difficult to predict how quickly the excess water will take to drain away so that all three lanes of the roadway can be reopened.