Anyone who lives in the Western Cape has probably driven through the Huguenot Tunnel , which cuts through the Du Toits Kloof mountains. Did you know that it is the longest tunnel in the country?
Anyone who lives in the Western Cape has probably driven through the Huguenot Tunnel, which cuts through the Du Toits Kloof mountains, at least once in their lifetime. Did you know that it is the longest tunnel in the country?Looking for things to do in the city at half the price? Let these offers inspire you. Get themThe history of the Huguenot Tunnel is closely tied to the Du Toits Kloof Pass, which is named after French Waldensian Francois Du Toit.
A German farmer named Detlef Siegfried Schonfeldt, who was a former lieutenant in the 45th Württemberg Hussars and owned a farm in what was already known as Du Toits Kloof, approached the local farming community, which included areas such as Stellenbosch, Paarl, Franschhoek and Worcester, and suggested that a road be built through Du Toits Kloof to benefit everyone.
The authorities investigated Schonfeldt’s proposal, as they believed what had already been built would be sufficient to serve as a decent road. As a result, his funding request was turned down, but the matter was raised again in 1858 by a civil engineer named George Pilkington. Due to a lack of funding, however, the project was not revived.
Five years later, a government engineer named PA de Villiers surveyed the area, and it was decided to go ahead with the plan to build a road through Du Toits Kloof. Not too long afterwards, World War II broke out, and South Africa was asked to host a number of Italian prisoners of war, of whom approximately 10 000 were detained in Worcester.
To celebrate the completion of the pass, a massive aluminium cross was carted to Huguenot Top, and it can still be seen today.A rush of traffic was noted on the pass in the 1970s, and in 1973, plans to build the Huguenot Tunnel were conceived. Construction started in 1984 and was undertaken in two phases.
The tunnel cost R202 million to build, and the added costs of improvements to road infrastructure on its eastern side inflated this figure to R500 million.The Huguenot Tunnel being inspected before completion
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