Lifesaving slipway three weeks away from completion
The reinforced bank has been built up to the same level of the existing grass.
The project to repair Winklespruit Lifesaving Club slipway and the bank is progressing well and should be completed in about three weeks.
Contractor Leomat Construction has already placed over 800 of the estimated 1,200 sand-filled bags to strengthen the eroded bank.
Nine men and three grading machines are being used to complete the project within the time-frame.
“We are on track and we haven’t encountered any problems to date,” said site agent, Jan Nel. “We are in the last phase of the project and only need to build the ramp and five new sets of staircases, lay the top soil and plant grass.”
One set of stairs will run parallel to the new ramp, further south than the old one.
The reinforced bank has been built up to the same level of the existing grass, at about four metres.
The slipway, which lifesavers use to launch onto the beach in case of emergencies and transport emergency equipment onto the beach, was washed away when the river diverted amid heavy rains in the beginning of December 2012.
The process was put out to tender by Ethekwini Municipality, but it took more than 18 months for work to begin. This was because council awarded the tender to the second lowest response, after it found the lowest tender lacking in both experience and capacity. The lowest tenderer lodged an appeal and no work could proceed until the appeal was heard.
The municipality recently won the appeal and the work was allocated to Leomat Construction.
