Pilot project to trial sand management intervention at Baden Powell Drive

13 November 2024

The City’s Roads Infrastructure Management Department is collaborating with the Coastal Management Branch on a pilot project to trial the use of wind nets along Baden Powell Drive. This intervention will attempt to limit windblown sand impacting on and resulting in the closure of Baden Powell Drive during the summer season when the south-easter wind is at its fiercest. The trial commences today, 13 November 2024, and will be maintained until 30 May 2025.

‘This sand management intervention pilot project entails the strategic placement of wind nets to trap sand closer to the sea and assist in managing the accumulated sand before it reaches Baden Powell Drive,’ said the City’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Alderman Eddie Andrews.

‘This method has proven to be successful in other parts of Cape Town such as at Hout Bay where it has been used for several years to keep Promenade Road free of sand. If successful, the portion of road where the intervention is implemented should remain free of sand eliminating the need to close this section of road due to wind-blown sand accumulation, as well as reducing the maintenance burden and costs to the City’s Roads Department,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Mobility, Councillor Rob Quintas.

The trial sand management intervention includes:

• The mechanical removal of excess stockpiled sand at Sonwabe which is a significant contributing factor in itself
• Installation and maintenance of wind nets placed perpendicular to the predominant south-easter wind direction on the eastern side of Sonwabe parallel with Baden Powell Drive, seaward of the parking area at Sonwabe, and directly parallel with Baden Powell Drive
• Wind nets will be open ended, thus allowing pedestrian access to the beach and will also aid in keeping the parking area clear of sand
• Annually or biannually the accumulated sand will be pushed back to sea and the nets reinstated, depending on the severity of the windy season.

The pilot project commences today, 13 November 2024 and will be maintained until 30 May 2025.

This project will not impact access to the coast, nor the public launch site.

Members of the public are asked to support this pilot project and not interfere with the nets at Sonwabe.

‘If this project is successful, it could be the solution to ensuring that the connectivity along Baden Powell is maintained during the upcoming festive season,’ said Councillor Rob Quintas.

The Roads Department in collaboration with Coastal Management Branch will assess the project on a bi-weekly basis to determine the success of the implementation and reduction in sand accumulation on Baden Powell Drive. If successful, the departments will consider the implementation of wind nets along other problematic sections of Baden Powell Drive to ensure the east-west connectivity is retained and remains open.

A high resolution image is available here.

Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office