THE Roads Authority (RA) yesterday warned motorists against using the B3 road between Karasburg and Lüderitz after wash-aways on Friday night caused extensive damage to it.
‘Given the current condition of the road, the B3 is now closed to the public until further notice. While the blacktop may look fine to the naked eye, the reality is that layers underneath are washed away,’ RA spokesman Audrin Mathe warned. Emergency construction work started on Saturday to build a detour to restore traffic on the road linking South Africa with Namibia via the Ariamsvlei border post, and it is expected to be completed by Thursday. Repairs to the 12,8-kilometre stretch of road will cost an estimated N$15 million and could last three months. Meanwhile, TransNamib has announced that it’s intensifying efforts to re-open the railway line between Karasburg and Ariamsvlei, also damaged by flash floods. The parastatal’s spokesperson, Ailly Hangula-Paulino, yesterday said a freight train with 16 carriages was still stranded in the veld. Train operations to South Africa were temporary suspended, she said.It is expected that the line will be reopened next week. The Seeheim-Lüderitz line between Schackalskuppe siding and Ausnek was also washed away.
