6.2.3 geology and geomorphology 6.2.4 geohydrology … · part b: the affected environment crowther...

Part B: The Affected Environment

Crowther Campbell & Associates December 20026-2

6.2.3 Geology and geomorphology

The geology of the area consists largely of sandstones and shales of the Cape Supergroup and MalmesburyGroup, Cape Granites, and younger sand and alluvial deposits of Tertiary and Quaternary Formations.

6.2.4 Geohydrology

Important ground water resources, namely the Cape Flats Aquifer (CFA) and the Table Mountain GroupAquifer (TMG) underlie the broad area. The first section of the N2 route crosses the Khayelitsha Wetlandssystem.

6.2.5 Freshwater ecology

The N1 and N2 cross a number of rivers. The larger and more wellknown rivers on the N1 are the; Elands, Krom, Molenaars, Breede, Jandu Toit and Hex Rivers; and on the N2 the Kuils, Eerste, Lourens(which is a Protected Natural Environment in terms of the EnvironmentConservation Act 73 of 1989), Sir Lowry's Pass, Steenbras andPalmiet Rivers. The Molenaars, Hex, Eerste and Lourens Rivers havebeen declared Special Standards Rivers by the Department of WaterAffairs and Forestry (amendments to Water Act 1984). This statusqualifies these rivers for sensitive water quality management.

The first sections of both the N1 and N2 routespass through the Kuils River corridor. Despite thehighly altered nature of this system and its poorecological condition, it is still of moderateconservation importance as it supports importantdownstream wetlands such as the Nooiensfontein

and Khayelitsha Wetlands. The N1 also crosses the Berg River immediately upstream of Paarl. The river isconsidered to be of moderate conservation importance.

Other water bodies in the first section of the N1 route include at least ten farm dams and detention ponds aswell as stream habitats, which generally form wetland seeps as a result of the flat topography. The damsand detention ponds have taken the place of natural shallow seasonal wetlands; their conservationimportance is increased where fringing vegetation results in a higher diversity of plants and animals.

Section 2 of the N1 route follows the Molenaars River for most of its course through the Du Toit’s KloofValley. This river is recognised as one of the few typically south-western Cape rivers that remains in areasonably undisturbed state. It supports a large number of wetlands and seeps and a high diversity ofsensitive taxa and is afforded a very high conservation importance.

Section 3 of the N1 first crosses the Breede River, which is considered to have a moderate to highconservation importance. The Hartebees River, a tributary of the Breede, is severely modified and disturbed,but is afforded a moderate conservation importance on the basis that it functions as a corridor for themovement of fauna.

There are a variety of wetlands present in this section, ranging form mountain seep areas supporting pristineMountain Fynbos to alluvial Fynbos Wetlands along the Breede River Valley and saline pans draining shalesnorth of Worcester with conservation importance ranging from moderate to high.

The Hex River flows in a westerly direction from its source north-east of the Hex River Valley to theconfluence with the Breede River near the Brandvlei Dam. It flows over gently sloping terrain, through thesteep, narrow Hex River Poort and then into a wide valley. A number of mountain streams feed into the riverin the Poort section, and this part of the river supports a number of endemic fish species. The highEcological Importance and Sensitivity in the Poort section affords the river a high conservation importance.

Impacts on rivers act longitudinally, becausedisturbance in one place can alter ecosystemcharacteristics in reaches downstream. Forexample, removal of vegetation in the riparianzone may result in destabilisation and erosionof the banks. However, the impacts of theincreased sediment load and siltation will becarried downstream.

The rivers and wetlands of the Fynbos Bioregion of the south-westernCape, with their distinct water chemistry, support a high proportion ofendemics, particularly within fish (84% of the fish species are endemicto the region) and invertebrate taxa (64% of freshwater invertebratespecies are endemic to the region).



Section 1 of the N2 route crosses the Kuils River and then passes through the Khayelitsha Wetlands. Thewetland system is a combination of Typha capensis-dominated pools, channels and seasonal pans,depending on local geology. They fulfil an important role in removing nutrients from the eutrophic KuilsRiver. More seasonal wetlands are located in and adjacent to the Driftsands Nature Reserve. These areassociated with Coastal Dune Transition Marsh vegetation and have a moderate to high conservationimportance.

The N2 crosses two additional rivers in this section, the Eerste River and the Moddergat River, both of whichare highly disturbed. Four seasonally inundated wetlands of moderate conservation importance occur alongthe N2 between these two rivers, while some fragmented remnants of Renosterveld wetland are present eastof the Moddergat River.

Section 2 of the proposed N2 and existing T2 route crosses the Lourens River and the Sir Lowry’s PassRiver. This area also supports a series of drainage channels and canals, seasonal marshes and, mostimportantly, Renosterveld wetlands adjacent to Fabriek Street and Nomzamo township. These rare wetlandcommunities are regarded as being of high conservation importance.

Section 3 of the proposed N2 route, from the top of Sir Lowry’s Pass, crosses a river, numerous wetlands,seeps and marshes and the junction of the Steenbras River and Dam. The Palmiet River is considered to beof moderate to high conservation importance, forming an important component of the Kogelberg BiosphereReserve ecosystem, through which it flows.

6.2.6 Vegetation and flora

The south-western corner of South Africa is home to the smallest and richest of the world’s six floralkingdoms. It is known for its high levels of endemism and is recognised as one of the most important‘hotspots’ of biodiversity, taking into account numerous threats to its existence. The study area is locatedwithin the south-western Cape region, which has the highest levels of plant species richness and endemismwithin the Cape Floral Kingdom.

The first section of the proposed N1 route between Durban Road and Paarl traverses transformed lands onthe Cape Flats. Three of the areas being considered for toll plaza positions in this section are also highlytransformed and dominated by alien species. The fourth site east of the R304 is located near a small patchof remnant natural vegetation and wetland.

The second section, from the Huguenot Tunnel to Rawsonville, traverses the mountainous Du Toit’s Kloofarea. Vegetation in this area, up until Florence, is Mountain Fynbos, a poorly defined, structurally complexproteoid fynbos type. Beyond Florence, the route traverses the Worcester Valley, which is largelytransformed by agriculture. Remnants of this original Alluvial Fynbos and Renosterveld may have a highconservation status owing to the limited distribution of these vegetation types.

The most western extent of the LittleSucculent Karoo vegetation is foundbetween Rawsonville and Worcester,giving the area bio-geographicalimportance. It is described as very rareboth because of its limited geographicalextent and because much has been lost toagriculture. Beyond Worcester, theMountain Fynbos vegetation supports ahigh incidence of succulent species, particularly on the dry, north-facing rocky slopes. Areas of transitionalvegetation of high local conservation importance were identified on the Worcester flats at the WorcesterWest Interchange site. At a regional scale, these areas have a similarly high conservation importanceranking.

• Although no species were found that are on the Red Data List, a raresucculent shrub, Ruschia acutangula (Mesembryanthemaceae) wasfound near the Rawsonville Road. This species is thought to beextremely rare, as is recognised as an indicator of arable land and muchof its habitat has thus been eliminated through ploughing.

• Two other succulent species collected in the Hex River Poort areunnamed and hence insufficiently known to assign Red Data List status(Antimima sp. and Lampranthus sp. (Mesembryanthemaceae).



The first section of the N2 traverses theCape Flats, most of which has beentransformed by urban development andagriculture. The second section of theproposed alignment passes throughHelderberg. The receiving environment isa complex mix of residential, cultivatedland, disturbed and alien-invadedvegetation, remnants of Renosterveldand Lowland Fynbos vegetation andMountain Fynbos vegetation. Vegetationof high local and regional conservationstatus is found in this area. However,quality of the vegetation in these areas isgenerally low or totally transformed. A small patch of vegetation close to Nomzamo is assigned a high localand regional conservation status.

The third section of the proposed N2 alignment from the foot of Sir Lowry’s Pass to Bot River is dominatedby Mountain Fynbos. In certain sections, the road reserves support good quality indigenous vegetation, andthese may play an important role in linking larger patches of natural vegetation in an otherwise transformedenvironment. Pristine areas of well-conserved Mountain Fynbos occur at the foot of Sir Lowry’s Pass, in theHottentots Holland Nature Reserve, and in the Houwhoek Pass.

6.2.7 Fauna

AmphibiansSeven species of frog could be affected by the proposed project: the highly localised Cape Platanna(Xenopus gilli); Western Leopard Toad (Bufo pantherinus), which has a restricted range and undertakesmass migrations to breeding sites and may thus be impacted by road traffic; and five other species withlimited distributions; the Cape Caco (Cacosternum capense), the Cape Mountain Toad (Capensibufo rosei)(both listed as Vulnerable), and Cape Chirping Frog (Arthroleptella lightfooti), the Marsh Frog (Puyntoniapaludicola) and the Cape Rain Frog (Breviceps gibbosus).

ReptilesThe Geometric Tortoise (Psammobates geometricus) is the only reptile species occurring in the greaterstudy area that is listed as Endangered. Populations of this critically endangered tortoise occur in theWorcester Valley and in the Helderberg in association with Renosterveld vegetation.

BirdsBoth the N1 and N2 pass through one of the 25 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in the Western Cape, IBASA107 Eastern False Bay Mountains. This IBA is located at the western extremity of the Cape FoldMountains. Besides 13 Threatened or Near Threatened species, the Eastern False Bay Mountains supportall but one of the Cape Fynbos EBA range- and biome-restricted species.

MammalsFour mammal species are listed as Vulnerable in the greater study area, all of which have relatively largedistributions in South Africa. These are the Cape Horseshoe Bat; the Round-eared Elephant Shrew; theGreater Musk Shrew, and the White-tailed Mouse.

6.2.8 Archaeology

According to the records of the Archaeological Data Recording Centre at the South African Museum (CapeTown), no archaeological sites or remains have been located in the immediate study area. However, thereare some items and sites of interest in the study area:

RED DATA SPECIES ALONG THE N2• Two Red Data species have previously been recorded on Erf 18834 in

Strand, namely Xiphotheca reflexa (Fabaceae – ‘Vulnerable’) andLampranthus spiniformis (Mesembryanthemaceae – no formal status).This survey noted Leucadendron lanigerum (Proteaceae – to be listed innext edition) close to Nomzamo.

• A new species of Aristea (Iridaceae) was recently collected in theHottentots Holland Nature Reserve, in the vicinity of the proposed route.

• One specimen of the Endangered shrub, Leucadendron globosum(Proteaceae) remains in the road reserve just west of the Palmiet River.

• Serruria flagelliflolia (Proteaceae – ‘Rare’) and Crassula multiflora subsp.leucantha (Crassulaceae – ‘Insufficiently known’) were collected at theproposed Houwhoek Mainline Toll Plaza site. The latter has only beenpreviously collected once, also at Houwhoek, the Type Locality.



• Rock paintings occur in the Hex River Valley Mountains, while Middle Stone Age (MSA) tools have beenfound in the Elandspad close to the Huguenot Tunnel and in the Molenaars River Valley.

• Approximately 40 graves were located in a dense stand of poplar trees near Glen Heatlie. This informalcemetery originated in the mid-1940’s and is therefore not protected under the South African HeritageResources Act (Act No.25 of 1999).

• A second group of approximately 20 graves was identified near the Kanetvlei turn-off in the Hex RiverPoort section of the proposed N1 route. The majority of the graves are older than 60 years and arehence protected by the South African Heritage Resources Act (No. 25 of 1999).

• Some MSA and LSA tools were found south east of the Strand Halt industrial area, but this is verydegraded and infested with alien vegetation. MSA tools have previously been discovered at a sitealongside Sir Lowry's Pass on the N2. Marginal scatters of MSA tools are found at the proposed IkapaQuarry site, which is adjacent to Grabouw.

• Rare rock paintings have also been located in the Steenbras River Dam area and alongside the BotRiver near the old Houwhoek railway road.

• The original Wagon Pass that passes above the N2 over the Hottentots Holland mountain range is ofhistoric value. This was originally constructed in the 1680’s and was subsequently improved in the1830’s and again in the late 1840’s by Andrew Geddes Bain.

6.3 EXISTING TRAFFIC

A detailed traffic study that covers the project area is presented as Appendix K to this report. The following isa summary of parts of that report.

6.3.1 The N1 Route

The N1 connects Cape Town with the north-eastern suburbs of the Metropolitan area, Paarl, Worcester,Bloemfontein and Gauteng. The N1 carries in the order of 90 000 24 hour Annual Average Daily Traffic(AADT) in Cape Town declining to around 7 800 AADT at the Huguenot Tunnel and 2,500 AADT at BeaufortWest. East of Paarl, the road carries relatively high proportions of Heavy Goods Vehicles (17-26%) throughDu Toit’s and Hex River Mountain ranges.

Daily traffic flows of around 50 000 vehicles per day at the R300 Interchange decline to 32 000 atJoostenbergvlakte, 25 000 west of Paarl and 10 400 at Rawsonville. Local traffic at Worcester causes trafficto increase to 13 600 although flows swiftly decline to only 4 600 vehicles per day at Sandhills and 3 700vehicles through the Hex River Valley.

Traffic flows at the Huguenot Tunnel on Fridays are some 40% higher than average weekday (Monday-Thursday) flows. Almost 50% of total weekly traffic travels on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays reflecting therecreational character of the traffic at these times. Goods vehicle traffic remains fairly consistent betweenMonday and Friday but declines to around 50% of the weekday level at the weekend. As expected, peaktraffic flows at the tunnel occur on Friday afternoons in an eastbound direction and Sunday afternoons in awestbound direction.

A breakdown of road user groups has been extrapolated from roadside interviews undertaken by the Proponent.Interviews were conducted at the Huguenot Tunnel, on the N2 West of the R44 (just west of Somerset West) and at SirLowry’s Pass. A total of over 7,300 interviews were conducted.

Table 6.1 reports on the purpose of a trip by vehicle class. It is clear that the predominant purpose of a journey forvehicle classes 2, 3 and 4 is for business purposes. The predominant purpose of journeys in vehicle class 1 is for‘personal business’ at 48% of overall trips followed by work commuter at 29%. There are some variations to this acrossthe three interview stations. Hence we find that there are proportionately more people travelling for personal businessthrough the Huguenot Tunnel and at Sir Lowry’s Pass while there are proportionately more work commuters travellingto and from Somerset West. There are also significantly more work commuters travelling in class 2, 3 and 4 vehicles inthe Somerset West and Sir Lowry’s Pass areas than at the Huguenot Tunnel.



Table 6.1. Vehicle class and trip purpose

6.3.2 The N2 Route

Daily traffic flows on the N2 decline from 37 200 vehicles per day near Khayelitsha to around 20 000 vehiclesper day through the Helderberg Basin. Sir Lowry’s Pass carries 13 700 vehicles per day. Approximately40% of drivers using the Pass are destined for the Grabouw area. Traffic east of Grabouw declines to 9 000vehicles at the Kromco packaging plant, 8 500 vehicles at Bot River and 5 400 vehicles towards Caledon.

In general, 5% of traffic on the N2 to the west of Somerset West is recreational. This proportion increases toaround 15% on Fridays. During a typical weekday around 20-30% of trips are made for employers businessand 30% are home-based trips. In general, around 10% of weekday traffic at Sir Lowry’s Pass isrecreational, and this proportion increases to around 30% on Fridays.

Proportion of vehicles by purpose of trip and vehicle class

All road side interviewsVehicle class

Trip purpose 1 2 3 4Business 20% 81% 89% 91%Personal business 48% 7% 6% 3%Student/scholar 3% 1% 1% 0%Work commuter 29% 11% 4% 6%

Huguenot Tunnel Vehicle class


N2 West of R44Vehicle class


Sir Lowry's PassVehicle class




6.3.3 Seasonality of Traffic Flow

Traffic levels on the N1 and N2 vary at different times of the year. Traffic data suggest that traffic flows peakat most sites during December and January reflecting the strategic and recreational nature of both NationalRoutes (Appendix J).

6.4 SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT

The proposed N1 toll road starts within the Cape Metropolitan Area (CMA), just west of the R300 where itpasses through Durbanville. East of the R300, the N1 passes through the various suburbs of Kraaifontein.East of Kraaifontein lies Joostenbergvlakte, a semi-rural area consisting largely of smallholdings, which areused for equestrian activities, flower and vegetable farms.

Beyond the CMA, the N1 route passes through the historic town of Paarl, which forms the centre of a well-known wine route and is an important tourist destinations in the region. Paarl has a population of over150 000, is well serviced and has good community facilities.

The town of Worcester is the centre of another wine-producing district, and services satellite towns such asRawsonville. In addition to its famous wine route, the area is well known for olive farming and the productionof olive oil.

Beyond Worcester, the towns of De Doorns and Touws River have fewer community facilities and residentsare generally obliged to travel to Worcester for health care and schooling. The Hex River Valley area is oneof the country’s major producers of table grapes, and is also important in terms of livestock, wheat and fruitfarming. Tourism, largely based on outdoor activities, is rapidly growing in the area. The poorercommunities, however, are characterised by having low incomes, high unemployment and low educationlevels.

The proposed N2 toll road starts just west of the R300 Interchange and the first section of the route passesnorth of the residential areas of Khayelitsha and Macassar. While Khayelitsha is predominantly black,Macassar is predominantly coloured. Unemployment and poverty levels are generally high, particularly forKhayelitsha. Skills and education levels are generally low, and infrastructure and community facilities aregenerally poor. North of the existing road lies the Driftsands Nature Reserve and includes small pockets offormal (Sikhumbule) and informal (Green Park and Driftsands) settlements. East of Baden Powell Drive, thelandscape changes to agricultural/rural land.

The N2 is then diverted to Trunk Road 2 (T2), which effectively forms the boundary between Somerset Westto the north and the Strand to the south. Somerset West is the retail and commercial centre of theHelderberg Basin and the road is bordered by a mix of uses including schools, residential areas (formal andinformal), light industry, commercial uses, etc. The tourism and leisure industry is well developed, includingthe town’s own wine route, which incorporates wine estates situated on the outskirts of the town.

The T2 passes a number of formal and informal residential areas to the south. Within Helderberg lie theresidential areas of Helderzicht, De Bos and Onverwacht, Nomzamo and Lwandle. While Lwandle stillsuffers from a severe housing crisis and lack of infrastructure, Helderzicht is fairly well established.

An area of smallholdings known as Firlands is situated at the eastern end of the Helderberg Basin. In the1990’s, this property was auctioned and established as an equestrian park. Properties were sold on eitherside of the road reserve, which was put to equestrian use.

The N2 then passes the town of Grabouw at the centre of the Elgin Valley, an area famous for its deciduousfruit farming industry, particularly apples. The region produces 60% of the country’s apple crop, and thisindustry is the major employer in the region. Although Grabouw has a relatively well-developedinfrastructure, residents are still heavily dependent on larger towns such as Somerset West and Caledon forhospitals, schools and government offices. There is still a major housing shortage in outlying areas, largely



as a result of migration of labourers seeking work. The apple industry has been in a severe slump in the lastfew years, leading to extensive job losses and unemployment.

The small town of Bot River lies at the furthest end of the proposed N2 toll route. This town provides animportant link to the agricultural sector and surrounding rural villages. Tourism is increasingly important inthe district. Unemployment in the town is high. The lack of major community or retail facilities means that thecommunity is obliged to travel to larger centres such as Caledon and Grabouw.

At Bot River, the R43 splits off from the N2 to access the popular coastal resort town of Hermanus.Hermanus is particularly famous for its Southern Right Whale population, which generates enormousseasonal interest. Hermanus can also be reached by following the coastal route (R44) from Gordon’s Bay,which passes through various coastal towns and villages such as Rooi Els, Betty’s Bay and Kleinmond.

6.5 ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT

The relatively large and economically important sections of the N1 and N2 involved in the proposed projectare an integral part of the local, sub-regional, regional and national economy. The economic context is thusbroad and fairly complex.

The N1 and N2 are two of the key arterial routes in the Western Cape and, without doubt, the most importantroads to the economy of Cape Town and the Western Cape. The importance of the routes has increasedover the last few years as road transport has grown significantly at the expense of rail transport. Theseroutes provide the major link between Cape Town and the hinterland (Bloemfontein and Gauteng via the N1and the Eastern Cape and Durban via the N2). Aside from business usage, the routes are equally vital toprivate users for commuting to work, going shopping, accessing services, accessing recreational activities,etc. While the routes are critical to the Western Cape economy as a whole, they are particularly important tothose communities that do not have alternative routes to their major destinations. These communities aretotally reliant on the routes and can thus be described as ‘captive communities’.

6.5.1 Regional Context

The Western Cape is currently home to approximately 4.5 million people of whom 1.9 million are part of thelabour force. At 18.9%, it boasts one of the lowest overall unemployment rates in the country. Poverty levelsare similarly well below the national average. While this indicates an economy that is relatively healthy whencompared to the rest of the country, there are areas within the province where unemployment is a majorproblem. These areas tend to be rural or semi-rural in nature with a high dependence on one sector, oftenagriculture.

The Western Cape produces approximately 14% of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It hasgrown at a rate consistently above the national average, maintaining a rate of approximately 4% over theperiod 1990 – 2001. The manufacturing, financial and business services sectors make the largestcontribution to Gross Geographic Product (GGP) while the manufacturing, agriculture and tourism sectorsare most important from an employment creation point of view.

The Cape Town Unicity is made up of the six former Metropolitan Local Council areas (Cape Town, SouthPeninsula, Blaauwberg, Oostenberg, Tygerberg and Helderberg Administrations) that made up the CMA.The City as a whole is highly dependent on the N1 and N2 routes. Sections of the route that are proposedfor tolling along the N1 fall within the Oostenberg Administration, while sections along the N2 fall withinTygerberg and Helderberg Administrations. The population of the CMA is in the region of 3.4 million.

The CMA has a relatively well-diversified economy andmaintained a growth rate of 2.5% between 1991 and 1996,above the national average of 1.5% for the same period. Themanufacturing, trade, services and financial services sectorswere the main contributors to the 1996 GGP of R27.9 billion.

The CMA faces similar development challenges toother South African metropolitan areas, especiallyhigh population growth rates of approximately 2.5%between 1980 and 1996 (partly due to in-migration),unemployment (an estimated 19% of the labour forcein 1996), poverty and housing shortages.



While the CMA is not an export-lead economy, indications are that the area’s trading activities haveincreased significantly over recent years. Agricultural products are particularly important and make up thelargest proportion of exports (26% of total exports).

6.5.2 The N1 Route

The N1 Route starts near the urban edge in the Oostenberg Administration. Some commercial activity takesplace on a limited scale in this section, centred around the Kraaifontein Industria. Between Kraaifontein andthe Huguenot tunnel, the route passes through the Winelands district (encompassing Paarl, Wellington,Stellenbosch and Franschhoek). This region produced a GGP of R5.8 billion in 1997, which represented7.8% of the Western Cape Gross Geographic Product (GGP). The main sectors responsible for thisproduction were agriculture (the production of grapes, olives, chickens and some livestock), with smallercontributions from agro-processing, tourism, manufacturing and services. Areas along this section of theroute have a fairly uniform and relatively low unemployment rate. While Kuils River has a distribution ofincome similar to that of greater Cape Town, there are greater pockets of poverty in the Paarl or theWinelands District Council area.

From the Huguenot Tunnel to Sandhills, agriculture, primarily in the form of fruit farming, is the maineconomic sector. The Breede River district had a GGP of R3.01 billion in 1998 with the highest contributionsfrom the primary sector (mainly agriculture) (40%); the secondary sector (manufacturing) (17.5%); and trade& tourism (20%). Land use in the Hex River Valley is dominated by the production of table grapes, anindustry that has experienced a serious decline over the last few years as a result of high input costs andweak prices. Other agricultural production includes other fruits, chicken farming near Worcester and olives.

Human Development Index (HDI) figures for the Breede River District (0.57) and for Worcester (0.61)compare favourably with that of the Western Cape (0.61) (1 indicates the highest standard of living possibleand 0 the lowest). These figures are however highly aggregated for relatively large areas and do notadequately capture the pockets of poverty that exist in the areas. Touws River and De Doorns are relativelyvulnerable in term of unemployment with rates of 51% and 24%, respectively. Worcester and the BreedeRiver district have relatively low rates by comparison. Income is relatively uniformly distributed among the DeDoorns, Touwsrivier, Worcester and the Breede River District Council and is on average considerably lowerthan CMA levels. Standards of living for the coloured and particularly the black population are far belowthose for the white population.

6.5.3 The N2 Route

The first section of the N2 Route passes through the Tygerberg and Helderberg Administrations of theUnicity. Residential areas and vacant land border the first portion of this section of the route, limitingcommercial activity. The Somerset Mall acts as an important local and regional shopping centre and itssuccess has prompted further expansion, and the Helderberg is evolving into a major regional retail centreserving both the local metropolitan population and consumers from Grabouw, Betty’s Bay and elsewhere.

Current commercial activity along the existing T2 route in Somerset West is centred on Gant’s Plaza and theSomerset West Business Park. New industrial and commercial investment opportunities in the form of nodesand centres form a corridor stretching from Macassar/AECI along the existing N2 and T2 to Gordon’s Bay.This commercial corridor not only focuses new investment opportunities but also serves to integrate townswithin the Helderberg Basin. Nearer the Helderberg Mountains, some agricultural activity takes place in theform of grape production.

Khayelitsha is relatively vulnerable in terms of unemployment with a rate of 41%. Somerset West and Strand,on the other hand, have relatively low rates with that of Somerset West being particularly low at 11%.Somerset West and the Strand have income distributions very similar to those found in the CMA, whileincomes are very skewed to poverty levels in Khayelitsha.



The remainder of the route from Sir Lowry’s Pass to Bot River fallsunder the administration of the Theewaterskloof Municipality in theOverberg District Council. The Overberg contributed an estimated2.9% to the Western Cape GGP in 1997 (R2.2 billion). Theregional growth rate has been estimated at 1.7% between 1994and 1997 indicating average growth compared to the rest of theWestern Cape.

As with the rest of the Overberg, the area along the N2 Route isheavily reliant on agriculture, in particular deciduous fruitproduction and related industries. The fruit industry hasexperienced a protracted period of declining profits since the mid-1990s as a result of many factors including the phasing out of theGeneral Export Incentive Scheme (GEIS) and possibly also the end of the control boards. The globalindustry has also become increasingly competitive, is over-supplied in some instances and has reduced theseasonal differences South Africa relied on previously through improved storage methods.

Tourism has become an increasingly important part of the economy of the region. The area offers acombination of scenic beauty associated with wilderness areas such as the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserveand rural charm associated with farming activities. Hermanus in particular has experienced unprecedentedeconomic and population growth over the last few years, largely as a result of tourism (while not locateddirectly on the route, over half of the vehicles travelling east past Houwhoek are destined for theHermanus/Walker Bay area).

Grabouw is relatively vulnerable in terms of unemployment in comparison to the Overberg District and BotRiver. Unemployment rates are highest in the black population and lowest in the white population. All of theareas in this region have income levels that are somewhat lower than the CMA, with the Overberg District atthe lower end of the income spectrum.

6.6 POLICY, PLANNING AND LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS

The legislative and policy context of this project consists of a number of tiers at national, provincial,metropolitan and local levels. The Western Cape Planning and Development Act governs all planning anddevelopment in the province.

6.6.1 Policy Considerations

While the proposed project is consistent with national and, to a large extent, provincial tolling policies, thereare certain unresolved issues regarding policies at a provincial and local government level. Of specificimportance to this study is the fact that the PAWC – Department of Transport policy states clearly that thetolling of certain major roads can only be considered within the framework of an overall strategic plan for themajor road network of the province. No such plan exists at present and it is understood that the PAWCintends to initiate the preparation of this plan in the near future. However, it seems unlikely that the plan willbe completed in time to inform the outcome of this EIA.

Furthermore, the City of Cape Town has not yet adopted a consolidated policy for the tolling of roads in themetropolitan area. Reports to Council and subsequent resolutions were summarised in response to theScoping Phase of the project in a letter from the CMC’s Directorate of Transportation and Traffic. Inresponse to the current phase of the proposed N1 / N2 Winelands Toll Highway Project the City of CapeTown is currently preparing a position paper on toll roads and its response to the current project.

The issue of assessing the project within the context of an integrated transport plan remains outstanding. Nosuch plans (required in terms of the Municipal Systems Act, Act 117 of 1998) have been prepared for either

Population growth in the Overberg is largelyattributed to the influx of younger blacks andmainly elderly whites from other provinces and theCMA. The immigrating black population consistsmainly of economically active young men andwoman in search of job opportunities, while theelder whites settling in most of the towns arelooking forward to retirement and are often not infavour of development. Most of the members ofthe latter group are no longer economically activethough their presence may create the impressionof growth, prosperity and the availability ofnumerous job opportunities in the towns.



the City of Cape Town or the Western Cape∗. It is understood that the CCT and PAWC plan to initiate thepreparation of these plans in the near future, and that the preparation of these plans would take at least sixmonths.

6.6.2 Planning Context

In most cases, Spatial Development Frameworks that form part of an Integrated Development Plan have notyet been prepared as required by the Municipal Systems Act (Act No. 117 of 1998), apart from the districtauthorities who have prepared such plans at a broad scale. In general, recent spatial planning exists for theurban areas through which the routes pass, but very little planning has been undertaken for the rural areasfrom Paarl to Sandhills and Somerset West to Bot River.

At the broadest scale, metropolitan policies include the Cape Metropolitan Spatial DevelopmentFramework (MSDF) (1996), which is based on four spatial elements: metropolitan activity, nodes,metropolitan open space planning and the urban edge. This informs the direction of development andplanning in the CMA and aims at promoting sustainability through the containment of urban sprawl throughconcentration within the urban edge. Based on the MSDF, a draft policy titled Moving Ahead outlines howtransport planning is to be undertaken in the CMA in the future.

At a regional scale, the N1 section falls within the Winelands Integrated Development Framework (WIDF)(2000), that is based on the principle of bioregional planning. Here, land is classified into categories rangingfrom core conservation areas to urban areas. The majority of the land adjacent to the N1 has been classifiedas agricultural land with some portions earmarked for rehabilitation.

The Oostenberg Spatial Development Framework (2001) covers the eastern edge of the metropolitanarea, including Kraaifontein, Brackenfell, Kuilsrivier, Blue Downs and Eersterivier, thus including portions ofthe N1 and N2 included in the proposed project. Around the N1, this report reflects the planning ofJoostenberg Sub-regional Plan (discussed below) as well as the proposal of the N1 Axis Management Planand Policy Study. In particular, the scenic value or gateway properties of the N1 between the Joostenbergand Stellenbosch interchanges are highlighted.

A series of local structure plans have been prepared for areas along the N1, including:• The N1 Axis Management Plan and Policy Study (2000), which is aimed at creating an appropriate

gateway to Cape Town through the management of land use, built form and the visual impact of theareas immediately adjacent to the N1;

• The Joostenberg Sub-regional Plan (1995), which focuses on the area between the FisantekraalRailway line and Paarl Mountain to the north and Klapmuts to the south;

• The Klapmuts Spatial Framework (1999), prepared for the Stellenbosch Municipality;• The Benbernhard Structure Plan (1998), which covers the area between Klapmuts and Paarl;• The Cape Metropolitan Area Guide Plan Volume 4: Paarl/Wellington (1991), which is somewhat

outdated but still a legal document; and• The Upper Berg River Sub-regional Plan (1995), which covers the Berg River Valley stretching from

Hermon in the north to Franschhoek in the south.

A common theme throughout these structure plans is the maintenance of the status quo along the N1, with afocus on agricultural activities and complimentary land uses, with some allowances for tourism-relatedactivities.

Very little planning has been done for the area beyond the Huguenot Tunnel. The Du Toit’s Kloof Pass isindicated as a scenic route in the Upper Berg River Sub-regional Plan (1995), but no specific proposalsare presented for this route. The Breede River Integrated Development Plan (1999) has recently beencompleted by the Breede River District Council, and also indicates the retention of the status quo along the

∗ Note that the CMC’s Cape Metropolitan Transport Plan “Moving Ahead” document of 1998 is not regarded as such aplan.



N1, with some provision for the establishment of lookout/view areas east of the tunnel and in the Hex RiverPoort, amongst others.

The first section of the N2 route between R300 and the De Beers Interchange passes through mainly urbanareas dominated by a mix of formal and informal housing developments and some industrial areas.Numerous local structure plans exist for this portion of the route:• The South Spatial Development Plan (1999), which was developed by the City of Tygerberg and

includes the Driftsands and Mfuleni areas and proposes the extension of these communities;• The Khayelitsha Spatial Framework (1999), which proposes the creation of an activity street and high

intensity nodes along Bonga Drive and Lansdowne Road as well as the upgrading of open space andprotection of the existing wetland areas, which form a buffer between these nodes and the N2;

• The Greater Blue Downs Spatial Development Framework (2000), which proposes the establishmentof a major industrial area north of the N2 around Faure;

• The Macassar and Environs Spatial Development Framework (2001), which covers a large area onboth sides of the N2 from Baden Powell Drive to the Somchem property and proposes major expansionof the Macassar urban area (mostly residential and commercial) and limited expansion of some of thesurrounding areas including Firgrove;

• The Somchem and AECI properties (mid-1990’s) to the south and east of the N2 also have structureplans, which indicate urban development for these parcels of land based on the concept of an activityspine that would run parallel to the N2; and

• The Helderberg Structure Plan (1999), which covers a large area and encompasses the Macassar andEnvirons Spatial Development Framework and Somchem and AECI structure plans and reflects theproposals of these plans.

From the De Beers Interchange to the foot of Sir Lowry’s Pass, the N2 is diverted to Trunk Road 2 (T2),which effectively forms a boundary between Strand and Somerset West. A broad mix of land uses, many ofwhich enjoy direct access off the T2, borders the road. The proposed alignment of the N2 route along theproclaimed road reserve will pass through the existing formal residential areas of Helderzicht and De Bos,vacant land, the Lwandle informal settlement and the Firlands smallholding area. This area is covered by anumber of structure plans, all of which indicate the proposed new alignment of the N2, including:• The Helderberg Structure Plan (1999), mentioned above, which is at the broadest scale;• The Somerset West Draft Structure Plan (1993), which covers the old Somerset West municipal area;• The Broadlands and Environs Spatial Development Plan (2001), which covers the area between the

T2 and the proposed new N2 alignment. Most of the land abutting the proclaimed N2 road reserve isvacant or occupied by informal housing, and is mostly earmarked for residential development with oneindustrial area located east of Broadlands Road;

• The Helderberg Urban Edge Study (1999); and• The Urban Structure Plan for the Cape Metropolitan Area: Volume 3 Hottentots-Holland Basin,

which is regarded as outdated and will be replaced by the Helderberg Structure Plan as soon as this isapproved by the Provincial Administration: Western Cape.

These plans generally indicate the T2 as a future activity route, once the N2 has been realigned, along with amix of high intensity, predominantly industrial uses, envisaged from the Lourens River up to OnverwachtRoad. Beyond Onverwacht Road, further industrial development will be allowed to the south of the T2 up toSir Lowry’s River. The urban edge is defined as north of Onverwacht Road and south of Sir Lowry’s River,beyond which only smallholdings will be allowed up to the edge of the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserveboundary.

Very little formal planning exists for the area from Sir Lowry’s Pass to Bot River. The draft OverbergSpatial Development Framework (2001) is the most recent plan applicable to the area. This broad-basedplan includes little specific detail on the study area. Much of the land in the Elgin/Grabouw area is designatedas agricultural although the report implies that uses other than agriculture, e.g. tourism-related uses in farmareas will be tolerated. This portion of the road also passes through the recently established KogelbergBiosphere Reserve.



6.6.3 Legal Considerations

Legislation regarding the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations and procedures was discussed inChapter 2, while the legislative framework for the tolling of national roads was discussed in Chapter 3. Someadditional environmental legislation relevant to the project includes, but is not limited to, the following:

6.6.3.1 General Legislation

The Constitution of South Africa, 1996 (Act No 108 of 1996)

The Bill of Rights promulgated in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (Act 108 of 1996) statesthat everyone has the right:a) To an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being; andb) To have the environment protected, for the benefit of present and future generations, through

reasonable legislative and other measures that –i. Prevent pollution and ecological degradation;ii. Promote conservation; andiii. Secure ecologically sustainable development and use of natural resources while promoting

justifiable economic and social development.

National Environmental Management Act (NEMA), 1998 (Act No. 107 of 1998)

The purpose of this Act is to provide for co-operative environmental governance by establishing principles for decision-making on matters affecting the environment, institutions that will promote co-operative governance and procedures forco-ordinating environmental functions exercised by organs of state; and to provide for matters connected therewith.

Chapter 1 sets out a range of national environmental management principles. These include the following:• 2(1) the principles set out in this section apply throughout the Republic to the actions of all organs of state that may

significantly affect the environment;• 2(2) environmental management must place people and their needs at the forefront of its concern;• 2(3) development must be socially, environmentally and economically sustainable; and• 2(4) lists a number of principles, including: sustainable development factors, that environmental management must

be integrated, environmental justice must be pursued, there must be equitable access to environmental resources,participation of interested and affected parties, consider social economic and environmental impacts of activities,open and transparent decision-making.

Chapter 5 (Sections 23 and 24) presents the general objectives and implementation IEM. Section 23(2) presents thegeneral objective of IEM is to:• promote the integration of the principles of environmental management into the making of all decisions which may

have a significant effect on the environment;• identify, predict and evaluate the actual and potential impact on the environment, socio-economic conditions and

cultural heritage, the risks and consequences and alternatives and options for mitigation of activities, with a view tominimising negative impacts, maximising benefits, and promoting compliance with the principles of environmentalmanagement;

• ensure that the effects of activities on the environment receive adequate consideration before actions are taken inconnection with them;

• ensure adequate and appropriate opportunity for public participation in decisions that may affect the environment;• ensure the consideration of environmental attributes in management and decision-making which may have a

significant effect on the environment; and• identify and employ the modes of environmental management best suited to ensuring that a particular activity is

pursued in accordance with the principles of environmental management.

Section 24 (1) outlines the actual implementation of the IEM principles, stating that activities that require authorisationby law and which may significantly affect the environment must be considered, investigated and assessed prior to theirimplementation and that this should be reported to the organ of state charged by law with authorising, permitting orotherwise allowing the implementation of an activity.



Section 24 (7) sets out the procedures for the investigation, assessment and communication of the potential impact ofactivities which must as a minimum, ensure the following:(a) Investigation of the environment likely to be significantly affected by the proposed activity and alternatives thereto;(b) investigation of the potential impact, including cumulative effects, of the activity and its alternatives on the

environment, socio-economic conditions and cultural heritage, and assessment of the significance of that potentialimpact;

(c) investigation of mitigation measures to keep adverse impacts to a minimum, as well as the option of notimplementing the activity;

(d) public information and participation, independent review and conflict resolution in all phases of the investigationand assessment of impacts;

(e) reporting on gaps in knowledge, the adequacy of predictive methods and underlying assumptions, and uncertaintiesencountered in compiling the required information;

(f) investigation and formulation of arrangements for the monitoring and management of impacts, and the assessmentof the effectiveness of such arrangements after their implementation;

(g) co-ordination and co-operation between organs of state in the consideration of assessments where an activity fallsunder the jurisdiction of more than one organ of state;

(h) that the findings and recommendations flowing from such investigation, and the general objectives of integratedenvironmental management laid down in this Act and the principles of environmental management set out insection 2 are taken into account in any decision made by an organ of stage in relation to the proposed policy,programme, plan or project; and

(i) that environmental attributes identified in the compilation of information and maps as contemplated in subsection(2) (e) are considered.

6.6.3.2 Legislation relevant to the Construction Phase of the project

Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act, 1983 (Act No. 43 or 1983)

The objects of the Act are to provide to the conservation of the natural agricultural resources of the Republicby maintenance of the production potential of the land, by the combating and prevention of soil erosion andweakening or destruction of water resources, and by the protection of vegetation and combating of weedsand invader plants. Full regulations concerning declared weeds and invaders are listed in GovernmentNotice R1048. Although the Act focuses on agriculture, it does have the effect of incidentally conservingecosystems and habitats outside protected areas. For example, in terms of the Act, the vegetation of ‘vleis,marshes, water sponges or within the flood area of a water course or within 10 m horizontally outside suchflood area’ may not be drained, cultivated or utilised in a manner that causes or may cause the deteriorationor damage to the natural agricultural resources.

All areas supporting indigenous vegetation are regulated by the Act, which states that virgin land may not bedeveloped without appropriate permits for all changes in land use (Regulation 2) and all slopes exceeding20o (Regulation 3). Virgin land is defined as land that has remained undisturbed for ten years or more.

National Forests Act, 1983 (Act No. 43 of 1983)

The main purpose of the Act is to promote the sustainable management of development of forests, but alsoto provide special measures for the protection of certain forests and trees.

Under this act, proclaimed demarcated State Forests are managed for the protection of biodiversity and theassociated ecosystems. Withdrawal from demarcation has to be approved by cabinet. Both the HottentotsHolland Nature Reserve and a large portion of the "Core Zone" of the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserves areproclaimed State Forest, and the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry has tasked Western Cape NatureConservation Board (WCNCB) with appropriate management of these areas.

The removal, relocation or pruning of any protected plants that occur within the road reserve will require apermit in terms of this Act and Government Notice 1339 of 6 August 1976, promulgated under the Forest Act(Act No. 122 of 1984).



National Heritage Resources Act, 1999 (Act No. 25 of 1999)

The South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) was established in terms of Section 11 of the Act toco-ordinate the identification and management of the national estate, and has jurisdiction over heritageissues of national importance. Provincial and local heritage authorities are responsible for issues of regionalor local importance (It should also be noted that NEMA’s definition of the environment includes ‘culturalproperties’ and that the national environmental management principles in NEMA specifically includereference to ‘the nation’s cultural heritage’).

In terms of Section 38 of the Act, any person intending to undertake a development including theconstruction of a road, bridge or similar structure exceeding 50m in length; or any development or otheractivity that will change the character of a site must notify the responsible heritage authority and furnish thatauthority with details regarding the proposed development. The heritage authority will then notify the personas to whether a heritage impact assessment report is required, or if the requirements of the Act have beenfulfilled in terms of other legislation e.g. the Environment Conservation Act (No. 73 of 1989). Section 38(a)states that the provisions of this section do not apply to a development (as described in sub-section 1) if an impact ofsuch development on heritage resources is required in terms of the Environment Conservation Act, 1989 (Act No 73 of1989), or any other such legislation, provided the evaluation fulfils the requirements of the relevant heritage resourcesauthority.

In terms of Section 35 (4) of the Act, no person may, without a permit issued by the responsible heritageresources authority destroy, damage, excavate, alter or remove from its original position, or collect, anyarchaeological material or object. In terms of Section 36 (3) of the Act, no person may, without a permitissued by SAHRA or a provincial heritage authority, destroy, damage, alter, exhume or remove from itsoriginal position or otherwise disturb any grave or burial ground older than 60 years, which is situated outsidea formal cemetery administered by a local authority. Any finds should be reported to SAHRA, the projectarchaeologist, the South African Police Services (SAPS) and the state pathologist.

Graves are protected by two additional Acts: the Exhumations Ordinance (No. 12 of 1980), which protectsheadstones and human remains, and the Human Tissues Act (Act 65 of 1983), which governs the storageand handling of human remains. While graves that are older than 60 years must be exhumed by anarchaeologist, graves that are under 60 years old will be dealt with by the SAPS.

National Water Act, 1998 (Act No. 36 of 1998)

This Act provides for Constitutional demands including pollution prevention, ecological and resourceconservation and sustainable utilisation. In terms of this Act, all water resources are the property of the Stateand the EIA process is used as a fundamental management tool.

A water resource includes a watercourse, surface water, estuary or aquifer, and, where relevant, its bed andbanks. A watercourse means a river or spring; a natural channel in which water flows regularly orintermittently; a wetland lake or dam, into which or from which water flows; and any collection of water thatthe Minister may declare to be a watercourse. Permits are required in terms of the Act for the undertaking offollowing activities:

• Alteration of the bed, banks, course or characteristics of a watercourse in terms of Sections 21(i) and 40;• Abstraction of water from a water resource in terms of Section 21(a);• Storage of water in terms of Section 21(b);• Stream flow reduction as contemplated in Section 36 of the Act in Section 21(d);• Discharge of waste or water containing waste into a water resource through a pipe, canal, sewer, sea

outfall or other conduit in terms of Section 21(f);• Disposal of waste in a manner that may detrimentally impact on a water resource in terms of Section

21(g);• Removal, discharge or disposal of water found underground if it is necessary for the efficient

continuation of an activity or for the safety of people in terms of Section 21(j).



It should be noted that pollution of the river water (silt-laden run-off, oil from machines, etc.) is acontravention of the National Water Act, 1998 (Act No. 36 of 1998). Part 4 of the Act deals with pollutionprevention, and in particular the situation where pollution of a water resource occurs or might occur as aresult of activities on land. The person who owns, controls, occupies or uses the land in question isresponsible for taking measures to prevent pollution of water resources. Part 5 of the Act deals with pollutionof water resources following an emergency incident, such as an accident involving the spilling of a harmfulsubstance that finds or may find its way into a water resource. The responsibility for remedying the situationrests with the person responsible for the incident or the substance involved.

Interim national water quality guidelines for aquatic ecosystems have been developed for South Africa byDWAF. These guidelines are used in water quality management as the primary source of referenceinformation and decision support for the management and protection of aquatic ecosystems. Stringent waterquality guidelines apply specifically to “Special Standards” Rivers. Special Standards Rivers relevant to thisassessment include the Lourens, Eerste, Palmiet, Steenbras, Berg, Molenaars and Hex Rivers.

Mountain Catchment Areas Act, 1970 (Act No. 63 of 1970)

The object of this Act is to provide a co-ordinated approach to the conservation, use, management andcontrol of land situated in mountain catchment areas. The principle value is to maintain water yield and waterquality. This Act demonstrates the close link between vegetation, soil and water conservation. Declaredmountain catchment areas of possible relevance to this study include areas situated in the Divisions ofWorcester, Paarl, Stellenbosch and Caledon (Hottentots Holland Mountain Catchment Area).

The Act is administered by DWAF and the Minister is empowered to declare directions to be issued inrespect of the land that is situated in a mountain catchment area or within 5 km from it. Management of theseareas in the Western Cape is delegated to the WCNCB, which perceives its role in mountain catchmentareas (including parts of the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve, proclaimed in Government Gazette No. 7824,October 1981) to be the management and conservation of areas declared under the Act in an integratedway, such that biodiversity and ecological processes are maintained.

Minerals Act, 1991 (Act No. 50 of 1991)

An Environmental Management Programme Report (EMPR) based on the Aide-Mémoire for the preparationof EMPRs for prospecting and mining has to be submitted to the relevant regional office of the Department ofMineral Affairs and Energy in terms of Section 39 of the Act for any borrow pit or rock quarry.

Atmospheric Pollution Prevention Act, 1965 (Act No. 45 of 1965)

The Act, which is administered by DEAT, provides for the control of four different types of pollution, i.e.noxious or offensive gases, smoke, dust and vehicle emissions. The only other legislation that deals withlimited aspects of air pollution control is the Health Act 63 of 1977, regulations in terms of the Mines andWorks Act 27 of 1956 (now applicable in terms of the Minerals Act 50 of 1991) and the Road Traffic Act 29 of1989.

Part II of the Act deals with the control of offensive or noxious gases. This will not be applicable to the projectwith the possible exception of item 16 in the Second Schedule of the Act, i.e. ‘processes in which tar,creosote or any other product of the distillation of tar is distilled or heated in any manufacturing process’.Registration certificates are required from the Directorate of Air Quality Management: DEAT for all asphaltplants to be used for road construction if bitumen and tar products are not obtained from commercialsources.

Part IV deals with the control of dust, which can impact on local air quality during construction activities. TheMinister has the authority to declare a dust control area by notice in the Government Gazette. The Actrequires that these impacts be controlled during construction and operation of a project.



Nature and Environmental Conservation Ordinance, 1974 (as amended)

Development of road infrastructure within a designated Cape Nature Conservation Board Area would requirethat the piece of land in question be deproclaimed in terms of the Act under which it was proclaimed in thefirst place, with the consent of the Board. The ordinance also covers the protection of important plants and animalsoutside of protected areas.

Land within a state forest is considered to be a national issue, and Parliament would need to deproclaimsuch an area for development of a road.

Biosphere Reserves

The Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve (KBR) was South Africa's first Biosphere Reserve proclaimed under theinternational UNESCO "Man and the Biosphere" programme and appears on the Network of BiosphereReserves.

Biosphere Reserves are divided into three zones: core, buffer and transition areas. Any development thatwould impact on the core area of the biosphere must be referred to the national DEAT for approval. If,however, the development was restricted to the buffer zone or transitional area of the biosphere, theprovincial environmental authority would approve the development. The N2 route traverses the KBR betweenthe top of Sir Lowry's Pass and Bot River. The Elgin Valley falls within the "Transition Zone", which allows fora variety of land uses.

Protected Natural Environments

In terms of Section 16(1) of the Environment Conservation Act (Act 73 of 1989), Protected NationalEnvironments (PNEs) can be declared by any competent authority by notice in the Government Gazette if“there are adequate grounds to presume that the declaration will substantially promote the preservation ofspecific ecological processes, natural systems, natural beauty or species of indigenous wildlife or thepreservation of biotic diversity in general” and after consultation with the affected landowners.

PNEs fall under the control of the provincial environmental authorities. The authority responsible for theadministration of the PNE can issue directions in respect of any land or water in a PNE in order to achievethe general policy and objects of the Act and would have to authorise any development within a PNE.

The Lourens River is a declared PNE, one of only five in existence in South Africa. The specialist report onfreshwater ecology (Volume 2) explains that the declaration of the Lourens River as a PNE affords it one ofthe highest forms of legal protection available to a natural environment: inter alia, the directions of the PNEinclude the requirement that “no person shall erect or place below or above ground, a building or structure orextend any existing building or do excavations within 45 m from the middle of the river or the 50 yearfloodline, whichever distance is the greater – except under authority of the written approval of the Ministerand subject to the conditions set out in such approval”.

Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993 (Act No. 85 of 1993)

Regulations contained in Government Notice R1179 of 25 August 1995, promulgated under this Act, are ofimportance during the construction of the road. Substances such as cement, lime and all fuels and lubricantsare listed as hazardous chemical substances. Employees must be protected against exposure to suchsubstances.

Land Use Planning Ordinance (15 of 1985)

Where a proposed project is in conflict with approved plans, these plans will have to be amended accordingthe requirements of the legislation in terms of which they were prepared. Structure plans would thus need tobe amended in terms of section 4(7) of the Land Use Planning Ordinance, 1985 (15 of 1985), while



Integrated Development Plans would need to be amended in terms of section 34(a)(ii) of the MunicipalSystems Act, 2000 (Act No. 32 of 2000).

According to the specialist report on Planning and Land Use (Volume 2), the subdivision of land for thepurposes of the construction or amendment of roads or related uses is exempted from the requirements ofthe Land Use Planning Ordinance (according to Provincial Circular 1 of 1990). In the case of agriculturalland, the government is also exempt from applying for permission to the Department of Agriculture in termsof section 2(a)(i) of the Subdivision of Agricultural Land Act, 1970 (70 of 1970).

The specialist report states that SANRAL has indicated that in terms of the South African National RoadsAgency and National Roads Act, 1998 (Act No. 7 of 1998) that they are exempt from the requirements tosecure rezoning for land inside or additional land outside of the road reserve that would be incorporated aspart of the project that is not zoned for transportation purposes.

Western Cape Toll Road Act, 1999 (No 11 of 1999)

This Act makes provision for the tolling of provincial public roads in the Western Cape and for the planning, design,declaration, construction, operation, management, control, maintenance and rehabilitation of provincial toll roads. Interms of Section 2(1) the Minister can declare any road or a portion thereof of which the Province is the roads authorityto be a toll road. Section (6) makes provision for the operation of toll roads and levying of toll by authorised persons.

Synthesis of permit requirements

From the preceding section the following permits would be required for this project:• Permit for the removal of protected plants in the road reserve where the road passes through declared nature

reserves (National Forests Act);• Obtain approval from SAHRA on the cultural issues identified and addressed in the EIA (National Heritage

Resources Act);• Permit for the alteration of water courses, specifically relating to the project activities associated with wetlands, and

the widening and construction of bridges (National Water Act);• Compile EMPR and obtain approval from DME for material borrowpits (Minerals Act);• Obtain a Hazardous Chemicals permit for asphalt plants from DEAT (Atmospheric Pollution Prevention Act); and• Complete a Management Advisory Committee (MAC) Development Application Form for the proposed bridge

over the Lourens River (Environment Conservation Act).

Additional Permits and Procedure

According to SANRAL, the following additional permits may need to be obtained:• Health permits for hostels and sanitation (provincial health authorities)• Fuel Storage permit (obtained from DEAT); and,• Blasting permit (obtained from DEAT).

6.6.3.3 Legislation relevant to the Operation Phase of the project

Noise Control Regulations: Environment Conservation Act, 1989 (Act No. 73 of 1989)

In accordance with the Environment Conservation Act 73 of 1989 two procedures exist for assessing andcontrolling road traffic noise:• The procedures contained in the South African Bureau of Standards Code of Practice 0328 “Methods for

environmental noise impact assessments”.• The procedures contained in the Noise Control Regulations of the Environment Conservation Act 73 of

1989 applicable to the Province of the Western Cape.



In accordance with procedures contained in SABS 0328, the predicted impact that the noise emanating froma proposed development would have on occupants of surrounding land is assessed by determining whetherthe level of the predicted noise would exceed the “acceptable” and/or residual level of noise on that land andrelating this excess to the probable response of a community to the noise.

In accordance with Section 7.5 of SABS 0328, the estimated traffic noise impact is assessed by determiningthe probable community response from Table 6 of the SABS Code of Practice 0103 for ‘The measurementand rating of environmental noise with respect to annoyance and speech communication’.

Section 8.4 of the Code states that it is highly probable that the noise will be annoying or otherwise intrusiveinto a community or group of persons if that rating level, Lr, of the ambient noise exceeds the typical level(including the predicted noise of the proposed project) as indicated in Table 2 of the SABS 0103 or exceedsthe residual noise (excluding the predicted noise of the proposed project).In terms of Schedule 1 of the Noise Control Regulations (Section 25 of the Environment Conservation Act, aspromulgated in GN R154 GG 13717 of 10 January 1998 and as amended), any piece of land exposed totraffic noise may be designated by a local authority as a ‘controlled area’. ‘Controlled area’ means a piece ofland designated by a local authority where the 18-hour LAeq value exceeds 65 dBA.

In terms of Schedule 3(d) of this Section of the Regulations:“No person shall build a road or change an existing road, or alter the speed limit on a road, if it shall in theopinion of the local authority concerned cause an increase in noise in or near residential areas, or office,church, hospital or educational buildings, unless noise control measures have been taken in consultationwith the local authority concerned to ensure that the land in the vicinity of such road shall not be designatedas a controlled area.”

In other words, if the predicted noise due to the proposed development is likely to cause the noise level onsurrounding land to exceed 65 dBA, noise mitigation measures would need to be implemented to ensure thatnoise levels on affected land do not exceed 65 dBA.

Assessment of road traffic noise in terms of the Noise Control Regulations is based on the value of the 18-hour LAeq without consideration of any impulse correction, as this type of the noise is unusual and absent innormal free-flowing road traffic. The power to promulgate noise control regulations has been delegated tothe provinces under Government Notice 29 of 7 April 1995.

Part C: N1 Length of Route


CHAPTER 7 N1: LENGTH OF ROUTE

This chapter describes and assesses the key potential impacts of the proposed upgrade work along thelength of the N1 (refer to Chapter 4). The description and assessment of impacts is based on the findings ofthe specialist studies undertaken during the EIA process. The study approach for the respective specialiststudies is described in the relevant specialist reports contained in Volumes 2 and 3.

The assessment focuses on key potential impacts, also referred to as ‘significant impacts’ – namely those ofmedium, high or very high significance (without mitigation) – identified by the specialists. The assessmentfocuses on these ‘key impacts’, as they are considered important in terms of influencing the record ofdecision on the proposed project. This focus on ‘key impacts’ has also been undertaken to avoid asubstantial assessment of low and very low significance impacts associated with what is largely theupgrading of an existing road. Mitigation measures are proposed which could ameliorate negative impacts,or enhance potential benefits, and the significance of impacts with mitigation is provided.

The specialist studies have identified a number of construction-related impacts which, if mitigated, wouldresult in impacts of very low significance or no impact. As such, these impacts have not been presented inthis section. However, mitigation measures that have been recommended by the specialist studies tomitigate construction impacts will be collated in Chapter 14 (Conclusion and Recommendations) of thisreport. If the project proceeds to the next phase these mitigation measures would form the basis of aConstruction EMP that would set environmental specifications for the construction operation.

The proposed upgrade work includes widening and rehabilitation of the existing road, upgrading andconstruction of new interchanges and construction of an additional two-lane carriageway along sections ofthe N1 through the Hex River Poort. Impacts associated with the construction and operation of toll plazas onthe N1 are considered in Chapter 8.

The following format for presenting significance ratings is used below and throughout the report:• Assessment of negative impact significance without mitigation is indicated in bold lowercase;• Assessment of negative impact significance with mitigation is indicated in BOLD uppercase;• Assessment of positive impact significance without mitigation is indicated as positive bold lowercase

and in italics;• Assessment of positive impact significance with mitigation is indicated as POSITIVE BOLD uppercase

and in italics;• Negative impacts are not shaded in the impact tables; and• Positive impacts are shaded in the impact tables.

7.1 DURBAN ROAD TO BRIGHTON ROAD – ROAD WIDENING ANDREHABILITATION

The proposed changes to this section of the N1 (refer to Figure 4.1a) would be upgrading to a six-lanedivided road, rehabilitation of the road surface and capacity improvements to the Okavango and BrightonRoad interchanges. The only key impact that was identified by the specialists for this section of the N1 wasthat of noise.

7.1.1 Noise

The proposed widening of the road could worsen the noise levels currently experienced by adjacent propertyowners along this section of the N1. In addition, upgrading the Okavango and Brighton interchanges wouldincrease noise levels to residents adjacent to the additional lanes.

The noise specialist’s assessment of the potential impacts along the length of the route is based onextensive noise measurements conducted at various locations along the N1. The results of themeasurements indicate that the existing level of ambient noise along this section is already unacceptably



high (noise levels exceed 65 dBA) in terms of the Noise Control Regulations. Although the relative noiseimpact, as shown below, is assessed as of low significance this assessment of noise is included due to theexisting high levels of ambient noise at residential areas on either side of the road.

According to the specialist study, the addition of an extra lane would initially not cause a significant increasein ambient noise levels. However, due to the resultant increased capacity, it is anticipated that during theconcession period there would be a measurable increase in ambient noise levels of up to 3 dB. Thisincrease is of low intensity and is assessed to be of low significance. Although the relative intensity of theimpact is low in terms of the Noise Control Regulations, noise control measures would need to be consideredin order to mitigate this impact. The use of porous asphalt would result in an impact of POSITIVE MEDIUMsignificance (see Table 7.1). Mitigation includes constructing the new lanes with special low-noise porousasphalt and when upgrading this stretch of the N1 use low-noise porous asphalt.

Table 7.1 Impact summary table for the section of the N1 between Durban Road and BrightonRoad

IMPACTISSUECriteria Without

mitigationWith

mitigationExtent Local LocalDuration Long term Long termIntensity Low MediumProbability Probable ProbableStatus Negative PositiveConfidence Medium Medium

Noise alonglength ofroute

Significance Low MEDIUMExtent Local LocalDuration Long term Long termIntensity Medium to high LowProbability Probable ProbableStatus Negative PositiveConfidence Medium Medium

Noise atOkavangoand BrightonRoadInterchanges

Significance Medium to high LOW

The noise impact of the upgrading of the Okavango and Brighton Road Interchanges on adjacent residencesis expected to be of medium to high and medium significance, respectively. The use of porous asphaltsurface and the construction of 1,5 m noise barrier above road level would reduce the impact to LOWsignificance at the Okavango Road Interchange and POSITIVE LOW at the Brighton Road Interchange.

7.2 BRIGHTON ROAD TO FLORENCE INTERCHANGE – ROAD REHABILITATIONAND INTERCHANGE UPGRADES

The proposed road improvements that are planned for this section of the N1 include (see Figure 4.1a and b);realignment of the ramps at Joostenbergvlakte Interchange, construction of a partial clover-leaf in the north-east quadrant of the R304 Stellenbosch Interchange and mechanisms to prevent turning across the median(see Section 4.1.2). The only key impact that has been identified for these proposed activities is the impacton aquatic ecosystems from the upgrading planned at the R304 Stellenbosch Interchange.

7.2.1 R304 Stellenbosch Interchange

7.2.1.1 Aquatic ecology

A small-canalised stream and adjacent wetland would be affected by the construction of an off-ramp in thenorth-east quadrant of the interchange. Although no significant aquatic habitat exists the wetland systemprovides a natural corridor through this area; thus the impact is assessed to be of medium significance.



Design should ensure continuance of the wetland corridor underneath the new ramp in order to reduce thesignificance of the impact to LOW (see Table 7.2).

Table 7.2 Impact table for the R304 Stellenbosch Interchange


mitigationWith mitigation

Extent Local LocalDuration Long term Long termIntensity Medium LowProbability Definite DefiniteStatus Negative NegativeConfidence Medium Medium

Aquaticecology

Significance Medium LOW

7.3 FLORENCE INTERCHANGE TO WORCESTER EAST INTERCHANGE -INTERCHANGE UPGRADES AND OVERPASS STRUCTURES

Recent research findings (Eberle, 2002) on the status of the geometric tortoise in fragmented habitats adjacent to the N1in the Worcester Valley confirmed the presence of two sub-populations on opposite sides of the N1 between the Jan duToits River and the Hartebees River. The research report recommends that the barrier effect of the N1 be mitigatedthrough the construction of suitable underpasses (2 m wide and 1.5 m high), linking the two sub-populations onopposite sides of the road. Furthermore, it is recommended that the current impact on road mortality of the tortoises bereduced by erecting tortoise-proof fencing along appropriate sections of the N1 in the Worcester Valley. In addition tofencing along the appropriate sections, a 20 – 30 cm high barrier with vertical sides should be constructed along thebottom of the fence. This barrier should penetrate at least 10 cm into the ground.

Each of the interchange upgrades planned for this section of the project is discussed in this section.

7.3.1 Florence Interchange

Key issues that are addressed for this interchange include aquatic ecosystems, vegetation and visualimpacts.


This interchange could result in the loss of a high-quality wetland seep habitat that has high conservationimportance. Construction of the interchange may require the repositioning of a cobble-lined canal. Thiscanal cannot be moved further west without encroaching onto the wetland seep habitat. Should there beencroachment into the wetland area this would have an impact of medium significance. Mitigation wouldreduce the significance of this impact to VERY LOW (see Table 7.3).

Mitigation includes the construction of the Rawsonville off-ramp on piers or with culverts where it crosses thedisturbed ground and/or shift the start of the Rawsonville off-ramp further to the north where it could beconstructed on top of an old fill area.

7.3.1.2 Vegetation

If construction of the interchange affects the intermediate-quality Mountain Fynbos on the mountain(northern) side of the N1, the significance of the impact is expected to be medium. The implementation ofmitigation measures would reduce the impact to LOW significance (Table 7.3).

Mitigation involves avoiding the pristine and sensitive habitat to the north and revegetation of all areasdisturbed during construction with local indigenous species.



7.3.1.3 Visual

The intersection is situated in a localised topographic depression and in the near vicinity of the Florencetruck weigh-station (see Figure 7.1). There are no residential dwellings in the near vicinity. The scale of theinterchange would be proportional with the scale and visual experience of this portion of the N1 and theexisting interchange. The visual impact is thus assessed as being of medium significance (see Table 7.3).With mitigation the visual impact is considered to be of LOW TO MEDIUM significance.

Mitigation measures include landscaping of verges and planting of trees adjacent to the interchange,establishment of plants and shrubs on the slopes of the fill embankments and maintain tall trees as far aspossible.

Table 7.3 Impact summary table for the proposed Florence Interchange



Extent Regional LocalDuration Permanent Short termIntensity Low LowProbability Probable LowStatus Negative NegativeConfidence Medium Medium

Aquaticecology

Significance Medium VERY LOWExtent Local LocalDuration Permanent PermanentIntensity Low-medium LowProbability Definite DefiniteStatus Negative NegativeConfidence Medium Medium

Vegetation

Significance Medium LOWExtent Local LocalDuration Permanent PermanentIntensity Medium LowProbability Probable ProbableStatus Negative NegativeConfidence High High

Visual

Significance Medium LOW TO MEDIUM

7.3.2 Worcester West Interchange

This section addresses aquatic ecology, vegetation and visual impacts associated with the Worcester WestInterchange. Recent research findings (Eberle, 2002) on the status of the geometric tortoise in the Worcester Valleyshow that no geometric tortoises occur in habitats surveyed in the immediate vicinity of the proposed Worcester WestInterchange. An impact summary is presented in Table 7.4.


There would be no direct impacts on wetlands associated with this interchange position. However, theextent of the encroachment into the Hartebees River floodplain would represent another disturbance to thefunctioning of the river corridor and undermine the potential for rehabilitation of the river in the future. Thepotential impact on the functionality of the system, though permanent is, however, local and of low intensityas there would be very little change to the functioning of the system. Of greater significance, however, is theloss of rehabilitation potential. The significance of this potential impact is medium. With mitigation theresidual impact would be VERY LOW (see Table 7.4).



Mitigation includes avoid situating the northwest interchange off-ramp on the floodplain of the HartebeesRiver and ensure a minimum development distance of 30 m between the realigned R43 and the HartebeesRiver.

7.3.2.2 Vegetation

The construction of the interchange and new R43 alignment would result in the direct loss of portions of thisremnant vegetation that is transitional between Fynbos, Renosterveld and Succulent Karoo. Thesignificance of this impact could be medium to high. The significance of this impact could be reduced toLOW TO MEDIUM with mitigation (see Table 7.4).

Mitigation includes avoidance of the most pristine areas, collection and propagation of rare plant species,control of alien plant species and revegetation of all disturbed areas with local indigenous species.

Table 7.4 Impact summary table for the proposed Worcester West Interchange



Extent Local LocalDuration Permanent PermanentIntensity Medium LowProbability Highly Probable ProbableStatus Negative NegativeConfidence Medium Medium

Aquaticecology

Significance Medium VERY LOWExtent Local-regional LocalDuration Permanent PermanentIntensity Medium-high Low to mediumProbability Definite DefiniteStatus Negative NegativeConfidence Medium Medium

Vegetation

Significance Medium to high LOW TO MEDIUMExtent Local LocalDuration Permanent PermanentIntensity Medium Low to mediumProbability Probable ProbableStatus Negative NegativeConfidence Medium Medium

Visual


7.3.2.3 Visual

The scale of the interchange would be proportional with the scale and visual experience of this portion of theN1. The visual impact is thus assessed as being of medium significance (see Table 7.4). With mitigationthe visual impact is considered to be of LOW TO MEDIUM significance.

Mitigation measures would be the same as for the Florence Interchange.

7.3.3 Worcester Casino Interchange

This section addresses aquatic ecology, vegetation, visual and noises impacts associated with the WorcesterCasino Interchange. An impact summary is presented in Table 7.5.




The western ramps of the intersection would fragment a wetland that is associated with a drainage corridorlinking the Brandwachts Berg with the Berg River. Although this wetland is presently affected bydevelopment, is assessed to be of high conservation importance. Permanent and high intensity impacts onthe ability of the wetland to function, as well as on the ecological processes, would result from theimplementation of the proposed layout. This impact is therefore assessed as being of very highsignificance. In order to reduce the significance of the impact it is recommended that the intersection bemoved further to the east where the ramps would not affect the wetland. In addition, remedial measures arerecommended to reinstate the wetland where it has previously been affected by the N1. With thesemitigation measures the residual impact is assessed as being of a POSITIVE MEDIUM significance.

It is recommended that this interchange be moved further east to avoid the Brandwachts Berg drainagecorridor.

Table 7.5 Impact summary table for the proposed Worcester Casino Interchange



Extent Regional RegionalDuration Permanent PermanentIntensity High MediumProbability Definite ProbableStatus Negative PositiveConfidence Medium Medium

Aquaticecology

Significance Very High MEDIUMExtent Local LocalDuration Permanent PermanentIntensity Low to medium LowProbability Definite DefiniteStatus Negative NegativeConfidence Medium Medium

Vegetation

Significance Low to Medium LOWExtent Local LocalDuration Permanent PermanentIntensity Medium LowProbability Probable ProbableStatus Negative NegativeConfidence High High

Visual

Significance Medium LOW TO MEDIUMExtent Local LocalDuration Permanent PermanentIntensity Low LowProbability Probable ProbableStatus Positive PositiveConfidence Medium Medium

Noise

Significance Low LOW

7.3.3.2 Vegetation

The interchange could result in the loss of Succulent Karoo vegetation south of the N1. As the Karoovegetation has large bare patches, perhaps indicating over-grazing in the past, the significance of the impacton the vegetation is assessed to be low to medium. With mitigation the significance of this impact could bereduced to LOW. Mitigation is similar to that presented for previous interchanges.



7.3.3.3 Visual

The scale of the interchange would be proportional with the scale and visual experience of this portion of theN1. Although the interchange is situated just east of the residential area of Brandwacht, residents should notbe negatively affected, as houses are largely oriented to the north (see Figure 7.2). The visual impact is thusassessed as being of medium significance (see Table 7.5). With mitigation the visual impact is consideredto be of LOW TO MEDIUM significance. Mitigation includes moving the intersection further to the east andthe incorporation of the mitigation measures proposed for the Florence Interchange.

Mitigation includes moving the intersection further to the east and the incorporation of the mitigation measureproposed for the Florence Interchange.

7.3.3.4 Noise

Closure of the southern access road would marginally reduce the noise due to interrupted traffic flowpresently experienced at residences in Brandwacht. The position of the new interchange is not expected tohave any noise impact on adjacent residences. The new position of the intersection is thus considered tohave an impact of POSITIVE LOW significance.

7.3.3.5 Discussion

As indicated in the individual sections above, in order to avoid the impact on the aquatic ecology and toreduce the visual and any noise impact it is recommended that the interchange should be situated further tothe east. Other specialist studies have indicated that there should be no impacts of medium to highsignificance if the interchange was moved further east.

7.3.4 Roux Street and High Street Overpass Structures

7.3.4.1 Visual

The bridge structures and more importantly the ramps leading to the bridge would directly effect the viewfrom the adjacent residences (see Figure 4. 8). At the Roux Street Overpass a number of residences alongRoux Street would be affected by the ramps that link to the actual overpass (bridge) structure. The visualimpact of the Roux Street Overpass is considered to be of medium significance. With mitigation the impactis considered to be of LOW TO MEDIUM significance.

At the High Street Overpass a similar scenario exists, except that here a higher number of residences arelocated close to the overpass ramp. A number of residences may see the proposed earth ramp above theexisting garden walls and diminish views towards the mountains. The significance of the impact on adjacentresidences is considered to be of medium significance depending on proximity to the ramps. As only minormitigation is possible, the residual impact on adjacent surrounding residences is considered to be of LOWTO MEDIUM significance (see Figure 4.8 and 7.3).

Mitigation would be the same as for the Florence Interchange. However, due to the proximity of residences,special attention must be given to ensure highly effective embankment rehabilitation and landscaping.



Table 7.6 Visual impact table for residences surrounding Roux Street and High StreetOverpasses



Extent Local LocalDuration Permanent PermanentIntensity High MediumProbability Probable ProbableStatus Negative NegativeConfidence High High

Visual


7.3.5 Worcester East Interchange

Key issues relating to this interchange are vegetation, visual and noise (see Table 7.7). It should be notedthat a second layout for this interchange (Alternative 2) was recently put on the table in response to issuesraised by residents located close to the first layout (Alternative 1) (see Figure 7.4). Due to the recentidentification of this alternative it was not possible for the specialist to address this further. However, itshould be noted that this would be addressed in further details as part of the EIA for the proposed WorcesterEastern Bypass.

7.3.5.1 Vegetation

Alternative 1 could result in the loss of Little Succulent Karoo vegetation south of the N1. This type ofvegetation is of relatively high quality and the conservation status of the vegetation type is poor. Thus thesignificance of the impact is assessed to be high. With mitigation the significance of this impact could bereduced to MEDIUM. The impact of Alternative 2 is considered to be in the same order of magnitude.

Mitigation includes the collection and propagation of rare plant species and revegetation of all disturbedareas with local indigenous species.

7.3.5.2 Visual

The Alternative 1 interchange would be visible to users of the road and adjacent farm residences. Theinterchange is located on a flat stretch of road with no visual prominence. The scale of the interchangewould, however, visually dominate adjacent farm dwellings (see Figure 7.4). The visual impact is thusassessed as being of high significance (see Table 7.7). With mitigation the visual impact is considered to beof MEDIUM significance. Alternative 2 is considered to have an impact of similar overall significance, butwould visually dominate a lower number of dwellings.

Mitigation would be the same as for the Florence Interchange. However, due to the proximity of farmresidences, special attention must be given to ensure highly effective embankment rehabilitation andlandscaping.

7.3.5.3 Noise

Several farm dwellings would be located in close to the ramp and access roads of Alternative 1, portions ofwhich are in cut and fill. Once the Worcester Eastern Bypass is completed, high traffic volumes would resultin a significant increase in ambient noise levels at the farm dwellings. This medium to high intensity impactis assessed to be of medium significance. With mitigation the significance of the impact is assessed asLOW. Less farm dwellings would be affected by noise in the case of Alternative 2.



Mitigation includes the use of low-porous asphalt and the erection of noise barriers between the receiversand the ramps. The height of the noise barriers should be determined at detailed design stage.

Table 7.7 Impact summary table for the proposed Worcester East Interchange



Extent Local LocalDuration Permanent PermanentIntensity Medium MediumProbability Definite DefiniteStatus Negative NegativeConfidence Medium Medium

Vegetation

Significance High MEDIUMExtent Local LocalDuration Permanent PermanentIntensity High LowProbability Probable ProbableStatus Negative NegativeConfidence High High

Visual

Significance High MEDIUMExtent Local LocalDuration Permanent PermanentIntensity Medium to high Low to mediumProbability Probable ProbableStatus Negative NegativeConfidence Medium Medium

Noise

Significance Medium LOW

7.3.5.4 Discussion

The repositioning of the proposed interchange to the west (Alternative 2) addresses a number of concerns oflandowners and residents located close to the layout for Alternative 1. One issue that still needs to beaddressed further is the likely effect on the Department of Agriculture’s Veld Reserve that is located north ofthe N1 along this section of the road. Although the impact on natural vegetation may be low, both of theinterchanges would have an effect of some extent on the experimental plots in this area. These impacts willbe addressed in further detail in the EIA that is being undertaken for the Worcester Eastern Bypass.

7.4 HEX RIVER POORT – ROAD REALIGNMENT AND UPGRADING

As indicated in Section 4.1.4., there are three areas on the N1 through the Hex River Poort where upgradingis required to address safety and traffic flow conditions. For the purposes of this report these have beenreferred to as the southern, central and northern sections and are addressed as such below.

7.4.1 Southern Section

7.4.1.1 Introduction

The rationale for upgrading this section of the N1 is in order to improve the current sub-standard curves thatexist on either side of the existing road-over-rail bridge (see Figure 4.10a and 4.11b). Upgrading of theexisting alignment is not being considered, as this would not change the sub-standard design curves alongthis section of the road. The two alternatives that have been proposed for the upgrading of this section ofthe N1 include:• Alternative A Existing bridge option: The existing bridge is widened to fit in with the improved road

alignment. DR 1426 would be retained. This is the Proponents preferred option.



• Alternative B New rail crossing option: The rail crossing is moved approximately 280 m south to providefor an at-grade intersection with DR1426 and to improve curves on either side of the bridge.

A summary of the impacts is provided in Table 7.8.

7.4.1.2 Visual

The visual impact of Alternative A is assessed to be of medium significance as it would have minor verticalelevations and would not alter the status of the existing visual impacts. This alternative would be situatedcloser to the labourers cottages than the current alignment. The residual impact is assessed to be of LOWsignificance.

Alternative B is assessed to have an impact of high significance due to the construction of a completely newbridge. This alignment would also result in the loss of the old cottage adjacent to the existing N1. Withmitigation the impact is assessed to be of MEDIUM significance.

Mitigation for both alternatives includes limiting road works to avoid demolition of any existing buildings andextensive tree planting and soft landscaping of fill embankments. Photographs, plans and diagrams areillustrated in Figures 4.10a and 4.11b.

7.4.1.3 Noise

Alternative A would bring the road to within 20 metres of the cottages and is assessed to have an impact ofLOW TO MEDIUM significance. No mitigation is identified.

For Alternative B the significance of the impact would be slightly lower than that of Alternative A as the roadwould not be as close to the cottages. The significance of the impact is predicted to be LOW. No mitigationis identified.

7.4.1.4 Air pollution

Vehicle exhaust fumes and particulate entrainment did not exceed guidelines for either alternative. However,as daily and annual inhalable particulate concentrations due to vehicle entrainment were 28% and 10% ofrespective DEAT guidelines, a significance rating of MEDIUM is assigned to the alternatives for this sectionof the N1.

7.4.1.5 Social

For Alternative A a small area of vineyard would have to be expropriated (approximately 0.6 ha) and severalfarm cottages would have to be expropriated and demolished. The result of the cottage demolition is thattenants of these cottages may be in danger of losing their homes with no certainty of relocation to anotherhome, as compensation would be paid directly to the property owner. Other impacts resulting from thisalternative are on irrigation canals, access to Spoornet substation and changes to the existing gravel roadaccess and delays. The significance of this impact is assessed to be medium without mitigation and LOWwith mitigation. Alternative B would result in expropriation of a significantly bigger area of vineyards(approximately 2.4 ha) and fragmentation of the northern portion of the farm. All other impacts would besame as for Alternative A. For Alternative B the significance of the impact without and with mitigation ismedium and LOW TO MEDIUM, respectively.

Mitigation includes negotiations with affected landowners and Spoornet in order to secure agreement on theissue of compensation for the expropriation of land and destruction of property; negotiate alternative accessand road arrangements; and, discussions should be held with the owner of the farm cottages earmarked for



demolition in order to ensure that any compensation paid is used to re-house the tenants in accordance withthe provisions of the Extension of Security and Tenure Act (Act No. 62 of 1997).

7.4.1.6 Discussion

The results of the assessment for these two alignments are presented in Table 7.8. As demolition of thefarm cottages would be required in order to construct either of the proposed alignments the demolition of thecottages would not be a factor in selecting between the two alternatives. Similarly other effect on thecottages would not be relevant. Thus the key factor determining the preferred alternative is the loss andfragmentation of agricultural land.

Alternative A is considered to be the preferred alternative for this section of the upgrading. This alternativewould have the least effect on the vineyards to the south of the existing bridge.

Table 7.8 Impact summary for Hex River Poort - Southern Section

IMPACTAlternative A Alternative B

ISSUECriteria

Withoutmitigation

Withmitigation

Withoutmitigation

Withmitigation

Extent Local Local Local LocalDuration Permanent Permanent Permanent PermanentIntensity Medium Low High MediumProbability Probable Probable Probable ProbableStatus Negative Negative Negative NegativeConfidence High High High High

Visual

Significance Medium LOW High MEDIUMExtent Local Local Local LocalDuration Long term Long term Long term Long termIntensity Low to medium Very low to low Low LowProbability Probable Probable Probable ProbableStatus Negative Negative Negative PositiveConfidence Medium Medium Medium Medium

Noise

Significance Low to medium V LOW TO LOW Low LOWExtent Local Local Local LocalDuration Long term Long term Long term Long termIntensity Medium Medium Medium MediumProbability Definite Definite Definite DefiniteStatus Negative Negative Negative NegativeConfidence High High High High

Air pollution

Significance Medium MEDIUM Medium MEDIUMExtent Local Local Local LocalDuration Permanent Permanent Permanent PermanentIntensity Medium Low Medium Low to mediumProbability Probable Probable Probable ProbableStatus Negative Negative Negative NegativeConfidence High High High High

Social

Significance Medium LOW Medium LOW TO MEDIUM

7.4.2 Central Section

The N1 through this section has a cross-section with a very narrow shoulder width and poor vertical andhorizontal alignment that regularly results in bottlenecks and a disruption to the flow of vehicles through thePoort. A safety risk exists because of the poor overtaking opportunities and is exacerbated by theaccumulation of traffic behind slow moving heavy vehicles. The rehabilitation of the road surface is alsoneeded along this section.



As indicated in Chapter 4 the improvements that are planned for this section of the road are currently being addressedby SANRAL as a separate project (Melis du Plessis/KweziV3 JV) and will be undertaken as a separate contract to theproposed Winelands Toll Highway project. A Scoping Study has been completed for this section (Ninham Shand,2000) and been evaluated by DEA&DP.

In order to facilitate sound environmental planning, information that has been collected by the specialists as part of thisstudy has been forwarded to the JV project team dealing with this section of the N1. A workshop was held to furtherdiscuss environmental issues associated with the planning for this section of the road. The workshop resulted in theidentification of realistic mitigation measures and the investigation of a second alternative for addressing the roadwidening of this section of the N1.

SANRAL has written to DEAT in order to obtain their feedback on the approach adopted at the workshop.

7.4.3 Northern Section

7.4.3.1 Introduction

The rationale for upgrading this section of the Hex River Poort is the same as that presented for the centralsection (Section 7.5.2). Here the N1 passes through a very narrow cutting, often referred to as the “box-cutting”, that is situated at the top of a narrow mountain ridge.

The NRA has in the past investigated five alternatives for the upgrading of this section of the Hex RiverPoort. Two of these alternatives have not been assessed in this study due to the very high costs of thealternative and/or the high environmental impact. The first option is the construction of a tunnel to the east ofthe box-cut. The cost to build a tunnel is very expensive and as the environmental impact is in general verysimilar to that of Alternative Y (see below) this option was not considered further. The second option was anew alignment of about three kilometres for the north-bound traffic situated to the west of the box-cut. Thiswould require the construction of three new bridges in order to cross the railway line twice and the Hex Rivertwice. The environmental impact of this option and the cost in the building of three new bridges compared tothe Alternative X, does not make this option feasible.

The three remaining alternatives that are assessed in the EIA are presented below and provided in detail inSection 5.3.1:• Alternative O Widen box-cut on existing alignment: This would involve widening the existing box-cut in

order to provide for a four-lane undivided cross-section. The main problem associated with thisalternative is the accommodation of traffic during the construction period.

• Alternative X New alignment to west: This would provide for a north-bound carriageway (for about 1 km)to the west of the existing alignment. South-bound traffic would remain on the existing route. A 100 mlong viaduct would have to be constructed on the north-bound carriageway due to technicalrequirements.

• Alternative Y New alignment to east: North-bound traffic would be provided in the existing box-cut. Asecond box-cut is constructed east of the existing one to provide for south-bound traffic.

A summary of the impacts is presented in Table 7.10.


Alternative Y and O would both effect the Tolkloof River and result in the permanent loss of riverine habitat.This impact is assessed to be of medium significance. Mitigation in the form of restoring the Tolkloof Riverto an ecologically functional river channel would result in an impact of POSITIVE MEDIUM significance forboth alternatives. Alternative X would not effect a riverine or wetland system.

6.2.3 geology and geomorphology 6.2.4 geohydrology … · part b: the affected environment crowther...

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