Work begins on rehabilitating Chapman's Peak Drive

ONE of Cape Town's most scenic drives along Chapman's Peak is one step closer to reopening following the Western Cape government's announcement that it has awarded a contract for the removal of the soil and rock material from the surface of the drive. The Western Cape's minister for transport, sport and recreation, Piet Meyer, said that an affirmative business enterprise - Messrs Ground Force Labour Services has been awarded the contract for removing debris from the road and also unblocking all the stormwater pipe crossings below the road. According to Meyer, the work is being undertaken in order to allow engineers the opportunity to assess the road surface, complete a topographical survey and inspect the structures supporting a portion of the road. "This will enable a further step to be taken in the ongoing drive to rehabilitate and reopen the road. It is hoped that this will lead to construction starting in 2002 with the reopening of the road a year thereafter," concluded Meyer. (Miguel de Sousa)