Construction
on the raising of the Garden Route Dam spillway is on schedule.
George
municipality spokesperson Chantel Edwards-Klose said construction for the
raising of the Garden Route Dam spillway began on May 13, and the contractor
was on schedule to complete the work within the contract period of 10 months.
“To date,
the blinding layer comprising of 700m³ of mass concrete has been completed. The
drainage channel in the basin has taken shape within this mass concrete layer.
Approximately 85 m of under-floor drains have also been placed,” Edwards-Klose
said.
The
raising of the actual dam wall is progressing steadily with the contractor
having placed about 7 500 m³ of suitable fill material excavated from the
dam basin on the mountain to ocean (MTO) forestry and Nelson Mandela University
(NMU) side of the dam.
“Almost
1 000 m³ of rock ‘rip-rap’ has been placed on the upstream side of the dam
wall. This rip-rap is needed to prevent erosion of the earth embankment of the
dam wall and manage wave action.
“About 60 holes have been drilled and grout
will be forced in through these holes under extreme pressure to fill up any
voids in the rock bed below the concrete base of the spillway.
“The
first batch of 27 tons of reinforcement has been delivered to site and work can
begin on the base on the eastern side, as soon as the pressure grouting has
been completed and the rock anchors installed.
“The
contractor has also started erecting the concrete formwork for the eastern
spillway base,” Edwards-Klose said.
A recent
near collision between a motorcyclist and a heavy truck within the restricted
area was regarded in a very serious light, she added.
“The
public is reminded that unauthorised access to the construction site is
strictly prohibited to ensure the safety of the public. Heavy construction
vehicles are operating on both the MTO/NMU and George sides of the dam
wall.
“The required signage is in place to warn the public that the area is a construction site.”https://www.iol.co.za/capetimes/news/construction-on-garden-route-dam-wall-about-70-finished-30773770
