NM Civils completed the long awaited new R240 Hemel and Aarde Road which now offers local commuters a quicker alternative between Hermanus and Caledon and brings relief to the heavy congested R43 to Hermanus and surrounding areas.

The Hemel and Aarde road, located in one of the country’s most scenic valleys and nestled between fruit farms and the breathtaking Hemel and Aarde mountains, has been upgraded from a Class 4 gravel to a Class 3 road.  The opening up of Shaw Pass and construction of a 16.1 km new road not only allows for a shorter route, but also safer road conditions for all users.   

The ceremonial ribbon-cutting ceremony of the R240 million Hemel and Aarde Road was officiated by Minister of Transport and Public Works, Donald Grant, and Executive Mayor of the Cape Overstrand Municipality, Mr Rudolph Smith on 10 November 2016. 

For the local community the expectations of a new road opening was dampened by unforeseen circumstances culminating in project’s delayed completion - construction in the end took 55 months.  On termination of the initial contractor’s contract in 2013, the project was put to out to tender with only 4.3km of the 16.1 km surfaced and a large portion of ancillary works left incomplete.  In December 2013 NMC Civils, a division of the NMC Construction Group, was awarded the tender for the remaining R120 million portion of the project.  The project delay was further extended by severe flood damage caused by the heavy rains over the 2013/2014 Builders’ Holiday.  The valley’s high rainfall impacted severely on the project programme with a total of 118 days normal rain delays recorded.

The scope of works for the 16.1km road with an 8.8mm cape seal comprised of earthworks, installation of bulk services and the construction of layerworks – this includes the construction of a 3km gravel wearing course road, premix works and stabilizing of fills by means of core fill construction.  Construction of additional undercuts and pioneer layers were necessitated by unsuitable materials and very wet conditions.  Drainage support includes the construction of 16km of concrete lined drains. 

Given the high rainfall in the area, the team’s main focus was to get out of the ground with the layerworks and get the site to be free draining, as the water table is very shallow, with ponding and fountains spontaneously occurring almost everywhere. 

The local community showed a heightened interest in the project given the ecological sensitivity of the valley with its numerous wetlands and unique, but endangered fynbos species.  At the outset of the project an environmental offset was agreed to with the Department of Environmental Affairs prior to the approval of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). This was done to mitigate the effect on the highly endangered species through Shaw’s Mountain Pass.  A 30 hectare reserve on the slopes of Shaw’s Mountain was declared and funding provided for the future maintenance of this area.

Construction of the road has unlocked economic potential for local farmers, tourism and local employment with a R31 million spend on local enterprise development and R17,5 million on local labour.