Work at sinkhole finally under way

Update

KNYSNA NEWS - There might be a considerable degree of relief in store for the staff and the owner of Knysna Fine Art, who last month said they were struggling to cope with the ear-splitting sound and smoke coming continuously from diesel pumps extracting sewage from the sinkhole in front of the gallery.

Yesterday afternoon, 26 November, a worker near the site said an electrical pump was now being used for the extraction process, and the diesel pumps, now positioned slightly further away from the front door of the gallery, were "on stand-by".

Unusually quiet

It was unusually quiet in the area. If an electrical pump is used constantly, the noise and smoke that caused great distress to the gallery owner and staff would be no more.

Gallery owner Trent Read said when he left the gallery at 2pm on 26 November, the diesel pumps were still running.

He said it was "fantastic news" that an electrical pump might now be in operation, and said the repositioning of the diesel pumps had "made an appreciable difference to me".

A sewer main line pipe in the sinkhole, at the traffic island at the intersection of Long, Gordon and Union streets, broke a long time ago and the diesel pumps, which had been running daily until 26 November since early in September, had been used to divert the sewage from the broken pipe, via a portable one, to a nearby sewerage manhole.

Alternate routes

A contractor initially hired by the municipality to attend to the pipe and sinkhole had been unable to carry out the work, and Peter Bester, the DA ward councillor for ward 11, said there was "suspicion the contract was irregularly awarded".

Sections of Long Street and Union Street have been cordoned off since September, forcing forcing motorists to use alternate routes to get to Thesen Island and reducing the amount of parking in the vicinity.

The municipality said in October that "the appointed contractor for this project failed to comply with the scope of the work as required, leading to a delay".

That contract had been terminated, it said.

New contractor

This week, Knysna acting municipal manager Setloane Malepeng confirmed that B&V Contractors had taken over the project, and said several streets in the CBD would be affected during operations, set to continue until the end of February next year.

“These essential works focus on repairing two significant sewer manhole collapses that have resulted in severe sinkholes at the intersections of Long and Union streets and Mortimer and Trotter streets,” Malepeng said.

'Serious risk'

“The damage, caused by groundwater infiltration and erosion of foundational materials, has compromised road safety and disrupted traffic flow in the affected areas. It also poses a serious risk to both infrastructure and public safety.

"The scope of the project includes replacing two existing sewer manholes, excavating and installing new uPVC gravity mains along Gordon and Union streets and conducting deep shoring and continuous dewatering to secure the sites and prevent further collapses.

Streets affected

"Once the sewer system is stabilised, the road layers and asphalt surfaces will be reinstated to restore traffic flow.

"To ensure safety during construction, several streets in the Knysna CBD will be affected by lane closures ... until the end of February 2025.

"The impacted areas include:

"Long Street up to Builders Express gate: full road width closure;

"Long Street to Union Street (approximately 20m): full road width closure;

"Long Street to Gordon Street (approximately 80m): single lane closure;

"Mortimer Street from Knysna Primary School gate to Gordon Street: full road width closure;

"Additional temporary road closures in Rawson, Mortimer, Trotter, and Grey streets.

'Drop-offs at school'

“During construction, Gordon Street turning into Long Street towards Main Road will operate as a single lane to accommodate drop-offs at the Knysna Primary School front gate. "This adjustment will remain in place until heavy equipment is removed or the project is completed," Malepeng said.