The objective is to improve not just the smoothness of the ride, but road safety as well. The intersections in their current form experience regular traffic incidents caused by speeding vehicles. This has caused many serious injuries among drivers and passengers and in some instances even death. An intersection has 24 pedestrian and 32 vehicle conflict points. These are places where the paths of turning vehicles diverge, merge, or cross each other, meanwhile a traffic circle has only eight, and clearly makes circles a safer alternative.
SANRAL’s Western Region Manager Kobus van der Walt said that there will be added safety for pedestrians and night drivers.
“This contract makes provision for surfaced sidewalks and pedestrian crossings, along with kerbed, surfaced median islands within each roundabout approach. The installation of street lighting at each of the three roundabouts and their approaching roads has a significant safety benefit for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists during nighttime conditions, as accidents frequently happen early in the morning or late at night, when visibility is compromised,” he said.
Just short of R90m has been earmarked for this upgrade project. SANRAL is committed to creating engineering solutions for safer roads. However, the buy-in of all road users, including pedestrians, is needed, so that road safety can become a way of life, and not just awareness campaigns in the aftermath of a tragedy.
With the festive season firmly behind us and the Easter Holidays looming in the distance, the people of the Northern Cape have their work cut out. Last year, media reports indicated that the Northern Cape had the highest spike in road deaths over the Easter period – 175%. This is alarming and the conscious commitment of every road user is needed to put an end to the carnage.
Though SANRAL is being proactive about saving Northern Cape road users’ time, trouble and injury with this project, we acknowledge that enduring road works when you’re a driver can cause its own hassles. “Road works inevitably give rise to traffic delays, particularly in the absence of alternative routes,” said van der Walt. “The patience and cooperation of residents is deeply appreciated and we cannot stress enough the importance of extra vigilance and awareness when travelling through the construction areas.”
AS PART of the reseal work on the N12, SMMEs from Britstown and surrounds will shortly have the opportunity to tender for small projects that involve pavement upgrades on the N12 going through Britstown.
Several SMMEs attended training programmes to help them understand tendering and requirements for doing business with SANRAL. This opens opportunities for them to compete for work that will be rolled out in the first quarter of 2018. The projects include two work packages for the upgrading of pavements specifically on the N12 in Britstown, as well as between six and eight work packages for other pavement upgrades spread throughout the town.
Opportunities like these are crucial for local economic
development and allow small businesses to
grow and contribute to their communities. The construction
industry is making enormous strides in this
regard, hopefully setting the tone for other industries
to find more creative ways to extend economic participation
for marginalised communities, particularly
where access to the formal job market is limited by
distance, available skills and education.
Kobus van der Walt, SANRAL Western Region
Manager, said: “We are committed to building
South Africa’s knowledge economy, which is why we
focus on transferring skills and sharing knowledge
through all our projects. It’s even more effective
when those skills that have been acquired can be
put to use in the pursuit of economic opportunities.
The SMMEs will not only have the opportunity to
gain economically – they will also be able to make
a dent in the huge unemployment figures in this
community, giving gainful employment to the local
labour force.”
SANRAL will continue to engage with all relevant stakeholders to ensure that our construction projects not only expand the road network, but positively impact the lives of the people in the towns along these roads in as many ways as possible, for as long as possible.