GEORGE NEWS - George Heritage Trust chairman Henry Paine writes that there are four aspects of the construction of the Montagu Pass and of the passes built by Thomas Bain and other engineers of the period:

• No cement is used. Ever.

• The camber of the road directs storm water away from the stone retaining walls to a gutter on the mountain (uphill) side of the road. The gutters are made of stone and plants naturally grow in the joints, which slows the water down, preventing erosion. The water is then led to points where it is led under the road and, in a controlled manner, allowed to run down the mountainside.

• Retaining walls are made from dry-packed (stones fit together without the use of cement of any kind) by hand, using large and small stones in a manner that allows for enormous strength but also allows water to percolate through the stonework, preventing pressure behind the wall.

• The surface of the road is made from a gravel that can be compacted to form a durable surface, provided the cross section of the road (from the retaining wall side to the trafficable surface to the shoulder to the gutter) is properly made.

Modern methods cannot be applied to the old passes

These principles are often not understood by modern road builders who use techniques that were not available to White and Bain. The modern methods cannot be applied to the old passes and the state of the Seven Passes Road (a Provincial Heritage Resource) is testament to that.

Some years ago, part of the Swartberg Pass collapsed for reasons similar to those that will, ultimately, result in the collapse of the Montagu Pass. Parts of the dry-stone packed retaining walls gave way and it cost millions to fix it.

If the problem had been dealt with timeously, the cost would have been a fraction of the final amount. The work on the pass was monitored by heritage architect Graham Jacobs on behalf of Heritage Western Cape (HWC).

I strongly believe that lessons learned from that disaster could be used to prevent the same problems on the Montagu Pass. 

The retaining walls take a specialist skill to replace, skills that are in short supply, but they are also of historic importance and should be judiciously maintained. 

I understand that the Provincial Roads Department has people who are skilled and knowledgeable about gravel road passes, so it makes sense to deploy them on the Montagu Pass in accordance with a protocol that should be agreed with HWC.

I strongly recommend that the following route is followed:

• The maintenance should be taken over by the provincial authority if the district municipality is not able to perform this function.

• A protocol should be agreed between the district or provincial roads department and HWC as soon as possible. HWC should advise on how this is to be done.

• The province's or the district municipality's own teams should be employed to do the work after the proper training has been done and, where necessary, the right skills have been employed.

• The work should be monitored by a person knowledgeable in the construction of gravel road passes who will represent the interests of heritage and conservation.

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