Namibia’s Roads Authority reacted in record time to restore an important logistical link to Windhoek after a flash flood caused a bridge to collapse 30 kilometres south of the capital.
The bridge on the outskirts of Rehoboth on Namibia’s busiest supply chain artery, first cracked and then gave way in some areas after unseasonal rain turned the perennially dry Aonab River into a stormwater trough, bursting its banks as it dragged everything along.
Logistical service providers were initially told that although cargo from South Africa would still be able to enter Namibia via the Vioolsdrif and Ariamsvlei borders, trucks would have to take a 400-kilometre detour around the devastation south of Rehoboth.
It would’ve meant that northbound trucks would’ve had to turn right at Mariental on the C20 to Aranos before heading northeast to Aminuis, north to Gobabis and back west to Windhoek.
But the bridge, which collapsed on March 20, was bypassed within days after the Roads Authority awarded an emergency tender for excavating a bypass right next to the bridge.
With the Aonab reduced to a trickle after last week’s torrent, several transporters trucking goods to Windhoek said the bypass was working well.
A detour around the flooded area would not have been feasible, one operator said.
The prospect of using the Trans-Kalahari Corridor (TKC) through Botswana was also rendered undesirable because of perceived congestion issues at South Africa’s Skilpadshek Border Post because of flooding at the Gorblersbrug Border Post on the Limpopo River, which had forced over-border hauliers to divert to transits further south.
Frequent violent service delivery protests on the N4 near the Botswana border, is also causing transporters to avoid the TKC by driving through the Northern Cape towards Namibia.
NBS News reported that Roads Authority CEO Conrad Lutombi said he was concerned about widespread road damage across the country, particularly affecting gravel roads that had been washed away due to last week's torrential rains.
To restore connectivity between Windhoek and Rehoboth, the RA has constructed a temporary bypass, while a dual permanent bypass is expected to be completed within three weeks.
The cost of the temporary bypass could go up to N$10 million, said Lutombi.
"We are very concerned. These heavy rains, to be very honest, have affected our road infrastructure countrywide, but mostly in the |Khomas, as well as Erongo and Kunene (regions).
“In our region, we have Midgard – Airport Road, which is currently closed. We have extensive wash-away on that road; therefore, we urge people to use the Okahandja road, and we also have a number of gravel roads that are washed away in Erongo.
“Rain also affected some roads in the northern part of the country, but we are happy to say that on the national roads, the impact is very minimal in terms of national service roads."
