History of Chapman's Peak Drive
Chapman's Peak is named after John Chapman, the pilot of an English ship becalmed in today's Hout Bay in 1607. The skipper sent his pilot ashore to find provisions, and the name was recorded as Chapman's Chaunce.
In 1914 preliminary surveys for the road from Hout Bay to Noordhoek got under way, by order of De Waal, first administrator of the Cape Province. The road was cleverly planned with the road surface based on the solid old Cape Granite contour, while the many roadside cuttings would be carved out of the more workable Malmesbury series sediments.
In 1915, construction began from the Hout Bay end, and in the following year work began from Noordhoek. The roadway was opened to traffic on Saturday 6 May 1922.
Because of landslide and rockfall incidents, the road was closed in 2000. After various improvements and protective measures were implemented, Chapman’s Peak Drive was re-opened to traffic as a toll road in 2003. In 2008 the drive was closed for more than a year for major upgrades and repairs. It has remained open since then, albeit with temporary closures for routine maintenance and during dangerous weather conditions.
Source: Chapmanspeakdrive.co.za