The Montagu Pass and Seven Passes Road are two of the historic Western Cape roads that had to be closed after sustaining severe flood damage during flooding of winter in 2023. Because the Montagu pass is a provincial heritage site, initial repair work was stopped following intervention by members of the public and Heritage Western Cape (HWC). Before permission was received to restart work, there was further adverse weather that caused the road to deteriorate to the point where it was no longer safe for public use and had to be closed.

According to the Western Cape Department of Infrastructure, the work will be prioritised along with all other roads that were damaged by the floods, and the maintenance will resume as soon as the necessary capacity and resources, including finance, are available. This is likely to be done in a phased approach, based on budget and resource availability. It is currently not regarded as a high priority, due to the Outeniqua pass being the main feeder road to George.

Jeff Ayliffe of Group Editors Live accessed the pass on foot to take a look at the damage.

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