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Western Cape, 5 September 2021 – With an economic injection of R600m, the next phase of the N7 upgrade, from Rooidraai to Moorreesburg, holds major economic benefits for the Swartland.

“The scope of work entails widening the cross section of the N7 section 8 (for approximately 25km) and the construction of additional climbing lanes for improved road safety and ease of traffic flow,” said Petronella Theron, Project Manager for the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL).

SANRAL had recently awarded this contract to Martin & East, and the process of site mobilisation commences in September. During this time, the contractor will structure works packages that will be subcontracted to SMMEs.

“In line with SANRAL’s Transformation Policy and government’s Preferential Procurement Regulation, a minimum of 30% of the contract value of all projects is to be subcontracted to targeted enterprises, in a bid to prioritise economic development opportunities for black-owned entities. These include women-owned businesses, youth-owned businesses and persons with disabilities,” explained Morné Windvogel, SANRAL’s Transformation Officer in the Western Region.

Furthermore, in the interest of transparency and fair business practices, all SANRAL projects are guided by a 14-point plan that sets the tone for project liaison, sub-contracting and labour sourcing, as well as a commitment to its transformation policy. This plan also includes the appointment of a Project Liaison Committee (PLC) which has oversight over SANRAL projects – but does not influence who is awarded tenders or who get jobs on those projects.

“We are currently engaging with various stakeholders in the region, including business chambers and sector formations, local government and other civil society interest groups, in a bid to attract nominations for PLC members, so that we can ensure a well-constituted PLC that will represent the interests of all stakeholders,” said Thembinkosi Mosobela, SANRAL Stakeholder Coordinator in the Western Region.

This is an exciting project and comes at a time when the road construction industry is crying out for economic relief through infrastructure upgrades. “As part of SANRAL’s response to this call, and the development of the knowledge economy, training and development are prioritised on this project, to ensure that both the SMMEs and the local labour can benefit from new skills and knowledge that will empower them to tackle bigger projects down the line,” concluded Theron.

SANRAL initially started the upgrade of the N7 with the Melkbosstrand Interchange in 2012 and completed the Hopefield Interchange early 2020.

The following are some of key stats taken from the entire N7 upgrade to date.

40.5km	Length of dual-carriageway freeway constructed
69.2km	Access and other roads constructed
46	Major concrete structures built and upgraded
8	Interchanges constructed
173 400 tons	Asphalt surfacing
162 700m²	Bituminous seals
R333m	Spent on targeted labour
R529m	Spent on SMMEs

 

Machadodorp Interchange open
In line with our commitment to offer road users world-class road infrastructure, Trans African Concessions (TRAC) is delighted to announce that the Machadodorp Interchange is officially open!

This much-anticipated junction, which forms part of the major upgrade between Machado and Emakhazeni, was officially opened today by the Honourable MEC of Public Works, Roads and Transport Mohita Latchminarain, the Honourable Executive Mayor of Emakhazeni, Xolani Sydney Ngwenya and TRAC CEO Alex van Niekerk.. This significant road construction project between the two Mpumalanga towns, undertaken by Wilson Bayly Holmes-Ovcon and Motheo Construction Joint Venture (WBHO/Motheo), kicked off in 2019. The project comprises the rehabilitation and construction of an additional lane per direction to convert this 30 km section of the N4 in a four-lane undivided road.

According to Mr Van Niekerk the R400-million upgrade was done to accommodate the traffic growth experienced over the years between Emakhazeni and the Montrose Intersection near Mbombela. Furthermore, the increase in traffic volumes stimulated the need to construct the interchange that offers a safer entry/exit point to and from Machadodorp and the R36.

“The official opening of this infrastructure marks a milestone for the Belfast-Machado upgrade project as well as for the Maputo Corridor and TRAC as a whole,” explained Mr Van Niekerk, “The at-grade intersection will now be permanently closed, and road users can only enter and exit the town of Machadodorp via the safer on and off ramps that form part of the interchange.”

Mr Van Niekerk reminded road users that although the interchange is fully functional, the roadworks between Emakhazeni and Machadodorp are not concluded and will continue for several months. “We are continuing with the other elements of the upgrade and rehabilitation with the entire project expected to be completed early next year.”

“We want to thank the public for their cooperation during this road construction project and thank them for their patience and understanding. This upgrade, including this magnificent structure that we opened today, is evidence that TRAC is committed to keeping the Maputo Corridor in pristine condition and on par with world standards,” concluded Mr Van Niekerk.

Enquiries

Solange Soares

Communications Manager

Tel: +2713 755 3316 (switchboard)

Mobile: +2776 021 2524 (cell)

E-mail: ssoares@tracn4.co.za

Phase 2 of the R75 from Wolvefontein to Jansenville has been completed

Eastern Cape, 31 August 2021: The R93 million special maintenance project on the R75 from Wolwefontein to Jansenville Phase 2 in the Sarah Baartman District Municipality has been completed, according to the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL).

Route R75 is one of the major National Roads within the Eastern Cape that links the coastline with its hinterland.
Twenty-two sub-contractors were engaged, and 300 local labourers worked on the project. The project was completed on 16 August 2021.

“SANRAL is committed to developing small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) on road construction projects,” said Mbulelo Peterson, SANRAL Southern Region Regional Manager.
The scope of work included gravel shoulder construction, in situ recycling sections with emulsion treated base and 10mm Cape Seal to protect the recycled base.

The pre-treatment included rejuvenator fog spray, 50/70 continuously graded base patches with BTB, 50/70 continuously medium graded surface patches, ETB edge break repairs and texture slurry.

Additional work on the project included the new concrete edge beams, subsoil drain cleaning and replacement, building new gabions, erecting new guardrails and fencing, 14mm and 7mm double seal, and retroreflective road marking.

“The upgraded road will reduce commuting time between destinations and there will be road safety improvement for motorists and pedestrians,” said Peterson.

In addition to the special maintenance work on the road, SANRAL implemented some community development projects. The work also included the repair and reseal of the road leading to the Jansenville hospital, the rehabilitation of a landfill site and the erection of a fence and signage to the dumpsite.

Western Cape, 27 August 2021 – Huguenot Tunnel upgrades are well underway, with no major spike in traffic volumes in the Du Toits Kloof Pass during the night-time closures, i.e. Monday to Thursday 10pm to 6am.

The potential increase of heavy vehicles going over the pass at night has always been a concern, particularly as incident response in the narrow pass posed multiple challenges and would cause significant delays and congestion, which has a direct impact on the economy.

“Traffic monitoring reports however show a slight decrease in the amount of traffic (both heavy and light motor vehicles) going over the pass during the night-time closures, when compared to the period prior to the commencement of the tunnel closures. This could either indicate that road users have adjusted their travel time or taken an alternative route. Either way, it means our proactive communications are reaching the targeted audiences,” said Mike Vinello-Lippert, SANRAL Project Manager.

With regard to the current maintenance operations, the asphalt overlay of the Eastern Approach road is 85% complete and all indications are that the construction works will be completed on schedule, by 30 September.

The replacement of continuous strip lights, adaptation luminaires at the portals and the lighting control system is also making steady progress. Old fluorescent and high- pressure sodium luminaires are being replaced with new more energy efficient LED fittings while additional adaptation luminaires are installed at both portals to ensure compliance with international best practice for the entrance zone lighting.

With the night-time closures, SANRAL has taken the opportunity to replace the outdated existing fire detection systems in the Huguenot Tunnel with modern systems which comply with local and international standards and best practice. The works include the detail design, manufacture, supply, delivery, installation, testing and commissioning of the tunnel fire detection systems.

“We are incredibly pleased with the progress made, and even more grateful to our road users for their continued cooperation and patience during this project. We look forward to completing these upgrade works and providing a much-improved road user experience. We believe that the safety improvements will go a long way to meeting world-class standards,” said Randall Cable, SANRAL Western Region Manager.

Road users are reminded of the variety of alternative routes which include Paarl – DuToit’s Kloof Pass – Worcester (±62 km), Paarl – Gouda – Tulbagh – Worcester (±121 km) or Wellington – Tulbagh – Ceres (± 74 km.) Depending on origin and destination, the N2 Grabouw to Villiersdorp (41 km) is also an option should they need to travel on a Monday to Thursday between 10pm and 6am.

Pretoria, 20 August 2021 – The South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) has welcomed the extension of the term of its current Board of Directors.

The Minister of Transport Mr Fikile Mbalula has extended the Board’s term beyond 31 August 2021, until a date when a new Board will be appointed. The Department is in the process to recruit a new Board and this process will be concluded soon.

The current Board Members: Mr Themba Barrange Mhambi (Chairperson), Alderman Robert Haswell, Ms Nkareng Mpobane, Mr Thamsanqa Piet Matosa, Ms Lungile Madladla and Mr Skhumbuzo Macozoma (Chief Executive Officer), were appointed following a Cabinet meeting held on 22 August 2018.

SANRAL’s General Manager Communications, Vusi Mona says the Board will continue to serve with distinction: “We welcome the extension of the term of the current Board. The Board Members have maintained good corporate governance at SANRAL and we have no doubt that they will continue to lead with excellence until the conclusion of their term”.

Pretoria, 7 September 2021 – The employment contract of the Chief Executive Officer of the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) will come to an end on 30 November 2021.

The SANRAL Board of Directors will, in line with Section 19(2) of the SANRAL Act, No.7 of 1998, as amended, embark on a recruitment process to recommend a suitable candidate for appointment by the Minister of Transport, before 1 December 2021.

5 August 2021, Vaalwater – There has been good progress on the upgrading of bridges and culverts on the R33, section 14, between Vaalwater and Lephalale, since the contract was awarded in September 2020, the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) has announced.

SANRAL awarded a public tender to G4 Civils (Pty) Ltd on 18 September 2020, for the construction of three bridges and the extension of two major culvert structures. (See locality map below)

The letter of access to site was handed to the contractor on 12 May 2021.

The project consists of the construction of three bridges at 12.6km, 19.0km and 23.6km. The two culverts to be upgraded are close to the bridge at 12.6km. Approximately 300 meters of the existing road, on either side of each bridge, will be raised by 1.2 meters as protection against flooding, and the cross section will be widened to 3.7-meter lanes in each direction and 3.0-meter paved shoulders. The Merriespruit bridge at 19.4km will replace the single lane culvert structure that was built as a temporary crossing after the steel culvert washed out in February/March 2014.

Although there were significant delays in bringing the project to the market, which included the alignment of SANRAL construction tender documents to fall in line with new National Treasury regulations promulgated in November 2017, SANRAL is happy to report that construction has now started and is expected to be completed by end January 2023.

The works will contribute significantly to reducing the number of accidents, particularly at the Merriespruit site, and will improve mobility times for travelers. The site supervision of this project will be carried out by LEO Consulting Engineers/Superstructures JV.

This project will create several temporary jobs for people living in Vaalwater and Lephalale. There will also be opportunities for employment of targeted enterprises (sub-contractors) for various work packages. Before construction could start, the contractor first had to prepare the local environment for the contract to proceed. The following milestones were achieved during this mobilisation phase:

• Establishment of the Project Liaison Committee (PLC) in conjunction with the Modimolle-
Media release July 2021 Page 2 of 2
Mookgophong (MMLM) and Lephalale (LLM) Local Municipalities.
• Induction of the PLC members.
• Appointment of two Project Liaison Officers (PLO) by open invitation, one each from the MMLM AND LLM areas.
• Obtaining the Construction Work permit from the Department of Labour which was issued on 4 February 2021.
• Calling for tenders for various sub-contract work packages for creation of a targeted enterprise (TE) database.

The following has been achieved in the mobilisation phase;

• Agreement on apportionment of sharing of labour and TE work between Modimolle-Mookgophong and Lephalale Local Municipality councils, as the project is on the border of the two municipal areas:

*Brakspruit bridge km 12.6 will be shared with the MMLM municipal area.
*Merriespruit bridge km 19.0 will be shared with the LLM area.
*Barberkuil bridge km 23.6 will be shared with the LLM area.

• Appointment of local labour: Twenty local labourers have been appointed at this stage (ten from MMLM and ten from LLM. Additional labour will be engaged as the work proceeds.
• Appointment of targeted enterprises (TEs): After the advertising of the packages in the MMLM and LLM areas, TEs have been appointed for the following packages:

* Plant hire (not all items have been awarded yet)
* Security (x2)
* Fencing (x2)
* Accommodation of traffic (x2)
* Fuel supply
* Brakspruit bridge km 12.6
* Merriespruit bridge km 19.0
* Barberkuil bridge km 23.6

• Appointment of targeted enterprises (TEs): future work packages
? Other subcontracting work packages such as gabion work, etc. will be advertised at different stages as the work proceeds, and local TEs are encouraged to look for such in the local media platforms.

For more information, please contact Mr Hendré du Preez at hendredp@leoconsult.co.za or Mr Hendri Strauss at hendri@g4.co.za or cell 083 406 7270.

Limpopo, 29 July 2021 – The Musina ring road will alleviate severe traffic congestion in the Musina central business district (CBD) once it is completed in the second quarter of 2022. Travel time for the road users travelling in and around Musina is expected to be reduced significantly, the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) has said.

The project consists of the construction of approximately 8.0km of greenfields single carriageway freeway to form the western ring road around the town. The alignment deviates from the existing N1 section 29 alignment just south of Musina and ties back into the existing alignment just north of the town.

Thousands of heavy vehicles use the N1 every day and pass through the Musina CBD. These vehicles also add to the traffic congestion in the town and create conflict with local traffic and pedestrians.
“Once completed, the Musina ring road will facilitate mobility, safe movement of goods and services in and around Musina,” says Hennie Kotze, SANRAL’s project manager.

Kotze says that the R640-million project is progressing well. The stormwater infrastructure is complete as well as the majority of the earthworks. Except for the Nancefield interchange bridge, the other bridges are at advanced stages of completion. The contractor is currently progressing with layer works and surfacing.

“Apart from COVID-19 related restrictions which are proving to be a challenge not on the Musina ring road project alone, but on other projects managed by SANRAL across the country, we are confident about the anticipated June 2022 completion date, provided there are no further delays,” he adds.

The project provides access to opportunities for local community members and small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs). Fourteen targeted enterprises from the Musina municipal area are currently employed to participate in the project.

“Up to 12% of the R640-million contract value will be allocated to targeted enterprises, of which 10% will be allocated to women-owned companies. The contractor has exceeded the 12% and is currently standing at 14%,” says Kotze.
“There is also a contractual requirement to employ local labour, often referred to as targeted labour, to the value of 6% of the contract value. 30% of this value must be used on women and youth labour each.”

SANRAL recognises that it can help to build a capable and developmental state and drive economic development through the provision and maintenance of critical infrastructure.

The Musina ring road project showcases how this is coming to life. Local businesses and communities will access employment through this project, as well as opportunities to tender for sub-contracting.

Eastern Cape, 01 August 2021 – The South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited’s (SANRAL) R61 upgrade project from Bayiza to Mthatha Airport will create much-needed economic spin-offs and job opportunities for the community of King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality.
Speaking at the project relaunch on Thursday (29 July) at Mthatha Airport, Eastern Cape MEC for Roads, Transport and Safety, Weziwe Tikana-Gxotiwe, said that after completion, the R61 road will be a vital link and catalyst for the development of the Wild Coast Special Economic Zone.

“The R61 Corridor is an important corridor in this region because it eases the movement of people and freight companies within the region and other parts of the country. As a provincial government, working together with SANRAL, we recognise the importance of a good and sustainable road network that benefits our province and its citizens,” she said.

Valued at R237 million, the project will start in September this year and is expected to be completed in November

“While the entire upgrade of the road is envisaged to be completed in 18 months, we have allocated the first three months of the construction to what we call the mobilisation period. This is a period in which H&I Construction, the appointed contractor, will interact with the Project Liaison Committee (PLC) and craft work packages that comprise the Contract Participation Goals (CPG), which is the amount that will be allocated to targeted enterprises and suppliers. These matters will be discussed and agreed upon within the first three months with the PLC. The PLC comprises representatives from the municipality, traditional leadership, business, and other sectors of society,” said Mbulelo Peterson, SANRAL’s Regional Manager for the Southern Region.

According to Peterson, the CPG on the project is R71m, which is 30% of the total project value. About R18,9 million of the project has also been earmarked to create job opportunities for local community members. About 160 to 200 job opportunities will be created for skilled and semi-skilled workers during the construction phase. Skills development and other training opportunities will be offered to those working on site.

The upgrade of the R61 will also assist in improve traffic flow as there has been a substantial increase of traffic volumes over the past few years. Access to Mthatha Airport will improve significantly once the project is completed. Numerous intersections will be upgraded to improve traffic flow and ease turning movements into and out of the R61, and some access road intersections with the R61 will be re-gravelled or surfaced. In the next four years SANRAL also plans to construct a dual carriageway between the Mthatha Airport and Mthatha CBD to increase mobility and the level of service of the road. The R61 project came to a standstill in June 2018 because the previous contractor was placed under business rescue and subsequently liquidated. The contract was re-tendered in late 2020, leading to H&I Construction’s appointment.