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Lane closures are scheduled for the next two days while roadworks continue on the N2 from Wilsonia to the N6 outside East London.

The South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) would like to advise motorists of lane closures taking place today, Monday 25 April, and tomorrow, Tuesday, 26 April between 8am and 4pm. The roadworks entail the completion of asphalt works on the Western Avenue bridge deck and ramp terminals; and milling of the Amalinda bridge deck.

“All asphalt work has been completed on the N2 carriage ways and both lanes of the East- and Westbound carriage ways are open to traffic until further notice. There will also be slow moving traffic.

“Motorists are urged to travel with caution and plan their trips in advance,” said Mbulelo Peterson, SANRAL Southern Region Regional Manager.

No work is scheduled from Wednesday, 27 April to Monday, 2 May.

SANRAL apologies for any inconvenience caused.

 

A blasting operation is scheduled to take place between the Winburg Interchange and the Winburg Station on the N1 between km 81.300 and km 81.540 on Thursday 21 April at approximately 3pm.

The N1 will be closed approximately between 2.30pm and 3.30pm. However, the blasting time may need to be adjusted depending on weather conditions on the day. If need be, a second notice with information of the new time will be made available.

Due to the close proximity of the blast site to the Winburg interchange, it will be necessary to close the Winburg interchange to all traffic during the blast operation.

As a result, there will be no alternate access through Winburg. However, steps will be taken to ensure that the N1 is closed for the shortest possible time.

Meanwhile, motorists can make use of the R30/R34 toll road between Glen Lyon and Kroonstad as an alternative route during the N1 closure.

The patience and co-operation of motorists will be appreciated.

SANRAL apologises to the motoring public for any inconvenience caused and thanks them for their patience during road construction.

The Agency takes seriously its mandate from government to manage and maintain the national road network.

In so doing, the safety and wellbeing of road users and the communities in which it operates are paramount.

SANRAL has noted that Outa is admitting that it has made basic mistakes in its so-called “research report” on the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project.  It now blames “typing errors” for this 100 000% blunder.

Sadly, Outa continues to misinform the public about the real length of the freeway construction project and compares costs of a rural road in crossing through Botswana with a modern freeway in Africa’s most advanced economic region.

Vusi Mona, the spokesperson of SANRAL says Outa is now backtracking on its initial statements and trying to explain the fact that it has still not responded to more than 400 questions from SANRAL a week after the deadline has expired.

“Our big concern is not merely about the shoddy research of Outa – but the fact that it has published conclusions about GFIP based on these basic errors,” says Mona.

“Over the past four years it has impugned SANRAL’s reputation and tried its level best to hurt our credit rating – something any sensible South African should desist from. Now it is quite clear it was basing its statements on discredited calculations.”

“We are also concerned that Outa continues to describe e-tolling as ’illegal’ and ’unlawful’. It is disregarding judgements in the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court of Appeal that confirmed the validity of the system and the public participation process that preceded it.

“Outa’s disregard for the decisions of our courts speaks volumes about its attitude towards the country’s judiciary. It will respect the judiciary, it would seem, only when it hands out judgments that are favourable to it,” Mona said.

The report conducted by Outa acknowledges that the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP) was necessary for economic growth.  It does not attack the quality of the infrastructure provided by SANRAL, which was the implementer of the project. However, it attacks the integrity of SANRAL which is based on a non-scientific, non-engineering study that compares generalised studies from elsewhere with the GFIP.

The “research” conducted by Outa does not state the researchers’ names and qualifications.Outa concluded that SANRAL overpaid by 321% for GFIP roads although their own “research” calculations had a figure of 152% – more than 100% discrepancy.

Some of the misstatements from OUTA’s report include:

• Stated project length – 185km vs actual – 201km
• Cost estimates for structural work grossly underestimated for both quantities and rates
• States that lane kilometres should be used – however it appears that the principle was not constantly applied
• Unit of measurement – some inconsistencies
• Studies used appears to be selective and used out of context

Various reports, even some of those referred to by Outa, make it clear that construction works in urban areas have many variables that make each project unique.  These include:

• Retaining walls required
• Services that had to be relocated
• Construction circumstances and environment
• Accommodation of traffic requirements for the contract & time periods allowed for construction works
• Professional costs for project design and site supervision costs

The Outa report excludes the above.

On 23 March 2016 SANRAL requested Outa to substantiate its claims of irregularities in the construction and management of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project and to provide all information including detailed engineering reports, research and financial calculations on which allegations contained in a recently published report are based . This information has not yet been received.

See the full presentation below:

Factual Inaccuracies OUTAs Report Presentation

 

 

SANRAL, through its legal representatives requested Outa to substantiate its claims of irregularities in the construction and management of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project. It was also asked to provide all information including detailed engineering reports, research and financial calculations on which allegations contained in a recently published report are based. Outa was requested to respond by 6 April 2016 but failed to do so.

“We have not yet received the information requested,” says Vusi Mona, spokesperson for SANRAL.

Outa has suggested that SANRAL is corrupt, incompetent and has colluded with the construction industry in a recently published ‘research report.’ To suggest that SANRAL’s conduct falls within the same category as the widely reported and now conceded collusion which occurred within the construction industry is defamatory and actionable. Outa incorrectly assumes and presumably derives comfort from the fact that it presents itself as an organisation which ostensibly operates in the public interest. It presumably assumes that its representatives are immune from the consequences of its actions.  Outa’s assertions in the report have been recklessly advanced.

“The collusive practices by the construction industry are being dealt with within the relevant structures in Government including ourselves. These perceptions created by Outa cannot be left unchallenged by SANRAL because they are misleading the public, the media and current and potential investors,” he says.

 “In terms of Outa’s own mandate, it has a responsibility towards the public to provide the factual basis for its allegations. It has persistently failed to do so. It is self-servingly misrepresenting the position in support of its stance that the public should ignore civil summonses,” says Mona.

 SANRAL has sent Outa a list of hundreds of questions and requests for clarifications based on the organisation’s 29 page “position paper”.

 Alex van Niekerk, project manager for the GFIP says Outa’s document can be dismissed as early as its second page where it is recorded that the Gauteng Freeway network consists “of approximately 185 kilometres.” The actual length is 201 km which undermines the veracity of all of the other figures quoted in the document which rely on the length of the Gauteng Freeway network.

 In the first case study referred to in the report, Outa confuses the unit of measurement.  It incorrectly extracts construction costs in Europe and bases its calculations on these values in “millions” of Euros instead of the “billions” stated in this study. This constitutes an almost 100 000% error.  Was this done deliberately to create perceptions or just plainly to misinform the public?  Based on Outa’s own calculation, but with the correct values inserted (billions not millions), the GFIP freeways are in fact 99,7% cheaper than the comparable European costs.

 

The second case study shows that one should not approach construction cost estimates in urban environments in the manner in which Outa conducted its “research”.

Van Niekerk says that without escalating the 2004 figure to 2010, and applying a R7 to $1 US exchange rate that was used by Outa, this case study derived cost amounts to R43 million per lane-kilometre.  This is equivalent to R387 million per centre line-kilometre when applying the Outa arithmetic.  Applying these numbers in the Outa calculation, the GFIP freeways were at least 77% cheaper than the 13 relevant projects that should have been considered by Outa.

The majority of the remaining case studies mostly relied upon by Outa in its report primarily compare rural roads in Africa and elsewhere in the world with the modern GFIP freeways.  Outa itself stated that one needs to compare “like with like”.

 

These inherently defective comparisons were utilised by Outa to support its fatally flawed conclusion that SANRAL has been overcharged by 321% for the construction of the GFIP.

Van Niekerk says Outa quotes “regional planners,” “engineers” and “research teams” without naming them or detailing their qualifications. They refer to “bench mark studies” and “generic models” without indicating their relevance in the South African context.  Outa also fails to take into account many of the elements of the GFIP such as the costs of retaining walls, drainage structures and the relocation of existing services such as power lines and pipelines.

The GFIP is a much-needed multiphase project to upgrade the Gauteng freeway network. Only the first phase has been completed. The expanded freeway had to be constructed to address a 20-year backlog. The GFIP freeway network currently carries more than 800 000 vehicles and in excess of one million persons each day.

 “The GFIP remains an integral part of the transport solution for the Gauteng province.  It has, and will, continue to add value to the surrounding infrastructure, improve the quality of a daily commute and sustain the economy of Gauteng, contributing to its future growth.  Without a sustainable financing mechanism to construct the more than 150 km of planned new freeways in Gauteng, the province’s economy will be negatively affected as will the quality of life of the commuting public.

 “Outa reached its conclusion before doing its research and millions of commuters are making their decision to pay e-tolls based on false findings,” Mona concludes.

Perceptions that e-tolls are still unaffordable even though there is a new dispensation which substantially lowered toll fees, are not based on facts, says the communications manager for the South African National Roads Agency SOC Pty Ltd (SANRAL) Vusi Mona. Eight out of ten private vehicle owners in Gauteng will pay less than R100 a month to travel on the Gauteng e-road users, if they make a payment within the grace period.

The new dispensation on e-tolls fees has significantly reduced the average costs for registered users, says Mona.

“Most citizens acknowledge the fact that users must pay for world-class infrastructure such as the Gauteng Freeway network. However, they are concerned that e-tolls will add a significant burden to their monthly expenses at a time when the cost of living is going up.

“This perception is wrong. No owner of a light motor vehicle will pay more than R236 per month, if paid within the grace period and present road use patterns show that 78% will pay less than R100 – and, of these, 44% will have regular bills smaller than R25.”

The new dispensation announced last year brought relief for middle-and working class families who travel on the Gauteng network connecting the major provincial cities. This was preceded by a report from a high level Advisory Panel, appointed by Gauteng Premier, David Makhura, to study the socio-economic impact of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project.

In its report the Panel found that the benefits of improved road infrastructure “unequivocally outweigh the costs of paying for it,” but also recommended that “mechanisms be found to mitigate the high costs for households with pressure on disposable income.”

This objective was achieved with the introduction of the new dispensation and the special discounts for defaulters, says Mona.

The Panel’s report indicated that the percentage of total financing burden on low-income people is only 0.4 percent. This contradicts the view that e-tolling imposes “a disproportionate burden on the poor”, said Mona.

He says two factors should influence Gauteng road users to reconsider their initial resistance to e-tolling and switch to e-tags and/or registration for their vehicles:

• The deadline for the special 60% discount on unpaid e-tolls dating back to December 2013 up to 31 August 2015 is fast approaching. This is a once-off offer that expires on 2 May and will not be extended.
• The decision to issue summonses to vehicle owners who have defaulted on the e-toll debts – despite successive requests and warnings. This could have negative consequences for road users who have debts.

“The legality of the system is no longer in question since precedent-setting judgements by the Constitutional Court and the Gauteng High Court in 2014,” says Mona. “But many people thought they will hold back on payment because they doubted SANRAL’s determination to take legal steps against defaulters.”

“Most road users are law-abiding citizens and support the user-pay principle for infrastructure as recommended in the National Development Plan,” says Mona. “Now that there is legal certainty and awareness about SANRAL’s determination to enforce the law, we are confident that a growing number of vehicle owners will switch to e-tags and/or register as a trouble-free and affordable option.”

 

Still time for e-toll defaulters to settle debts

SANRAL has noted, again, the misleading assertions that e-toll gantries are faulty or not certified.

“The National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) – the independent body mandated to handle all technical regulations and compulsory specifications relating to public health and safety – has as recently as this past January confirmed that there currently are no technical regulations to determine compliance or non-compliance of the measuring instruments (gantries) used to classify motor vehicles passing under the gantries. Therefore, our gantries are legal and any amount owing calculated on the back of it, is enforceable,” Vusi Mona, the Head of Communications at the South African National Roads Agency (SOC) Ltd said.

There is no criminal prosecution taken against SANRAL. It follows therefore that as there are no technical regulations against which there must be compliance, there can be no question of non-compliance on the part of SANRAL.

SANRAL confirms to all road users that the equipment used to determine the vehicle classification (motorcycle, light, medium heavy or heavy vehicles) achieves greater than 99% accuracy due to various auditing and quality control measures. In addition a photograph of the vehicle is available that can be used to clarify the actual vehicle classification in the event of a dispute.

It is therefore irresponsible of the FF+ to make statements to the public that the system is illegal and that the payment of toll is not required.  The system is legal. Non-payment of toll may result in sanctions against road users.

The door remains open for e-toll debtors who have received summonses for non-payment to settle their debts – and even benefit from the discounts offered by SANRAL.

Serial defaulters should, however, not underestimate the Agency’s resolve to recover the outstanding amounts and ensure road users comply with the legislation pertaining to e-tolling in Gauteng, said Mona.

 “We know there are many road users who have been misled by those who tried to convince them there would be no consequences for their actions..

“There are organisations that have persistently told people they are welcome to break the law. Now, many companies and individuals realise that they have been led up the garden path. The sheriffs are knocking on the doors of people who refuse to pay and continued ignoring of the summons will have consequences.”

 Mona says the intention is not to punish motorists, but to apply the user pay principle that has been accepted as best practice by the Government and the National Development Plan, and embodied in the legislation that provides for e-tolling on the Gauteng freeway network.

“Even at this late stage we still encourage people who have a historic debt to settle by taking advantage of the 60 percent discount and clearing their account backlog. The debt amount may be high – but it could have been prevented if people settled it on a monthly basis as thousands of other law-abiding road users have done over the past two years.”

The issuing of summonses is a civil debt collection, and not a criminal process. E-toll debt is similar to other debt incurred by consumers such as on clothing or vehicle payment accounts. Once the summons has been served the respondent has the choice to pay the outstanding amount, to defend the summons, or to ignore it. In such cases the processes will continue without the respondents.

The size of the outstanding debt will determine whether the process will be managed in the Magistrates or High Court system. The standard process for courts to collect debt is to issue a garnishee order to a salary or attach property. Although this is not a criminal process defaulters should know that this might affect their future credit rating.

Mona says SANRAL will continue to use all available legal avenues to collect outstanding debt. “We appeal to vehicle owners not to doubt our resolve or be misled by questionable advice from people and organisations who have no understanding of the system or the law,” he says.

Those wanting to check if they qualify for the 60% discount are invited to call 087 353 1490 or visit the www.less60.co.za website.

 

The South African National Roads Agency SOC Ltd  (SANRAL), which manages 21 451 of national routes, would like to advise road users of the expected peak travel times over the Human Rights and Easter weekends.

Traffic will spike on most roads on 18, 21, 25 and 28 March.

N1 between Cape Town and Johannesburg

• Traffic toward Johannesburg will be free-flowing except at the Huguenot Tunnel which will be very busy on 18 and 24 March.
• Traffic toward Cape Town will be free-flowing except at the Huguenot Tunnel which will be very busy on 21 and 28 March.

N1 between Pretoria and Polokwane

• Traffic toward Polokwane at the Pumulani Plaza will be free-flowing but busy on 24 March; at the Carousel Plaza it will be free-flowing but busy on 18 and 25 March and very busy on 24 March; free-flowing at the Kranskop, Nyl and Capricorn Plazas.
• Traffic toward Pretoria will be free-flowing at the Capricorn, Nyl and Kranskop Plazas but very busy on 28 March; at the Carousel Plaza it will be free-flowing but busy on 21 March and very busy on 28 March; at the Pumulani Plaza it will be free-flowing but very busy on 28 March.

N2 between Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Kokstad

• Traffic toward Kokstad on the KwaZulu-Natal border will be free-flowing but very busy at Grabouw 18, 24 and 25 March; at Caledon very busy 18, 19, 24 and 25 March; Swellendam will spike on 24 March; free-flowing at Tsitsikamma; free-flowing at Humansdorp but will spike on 28 March; free-flowing at Grahamstown; busy at Umtata on 18, 22, 23 and 24 March; and free-flowing at Kokstad.
• Traffic toward Cape Town will be free-flowing at Kokstad; busy at Umtata on 17, 18, 22 and 23 and very busy on 24 March; free-flowing at Grahamstown, Humansdorp and Tsitsikamma; very busy at Swellendam on 28 March; very busy at Grabouw on 21 and 28 March and busy on 27 March; very busy at Grabouw at 21 and 28 March and busy on 27 March.

N2 between Hibberdene, Durban, Richards Bay and Ermelo

• Traffic toward Ermelo will be free-flowing but very busy at Winkelspruit on 27 and 28 March and free-flowing at Tongaat, Mtunzini, Mtubatuba and Piet Retief.
• Traffic toward Hibberdene will be free-flowing at Piet Retief, Mtubatuba, Mtunzini, Tongaat; busy at Winkelspruit on 18 and 19 March and very busy 24 and 25 March.

N3 between Durban and Johannesburg    

Traffic toward Johannesburg will be free-flowing but busy at the Mariannhill Plaza on 28 March; busy at  Ashburton  on 18, 19, 22, 23, 26, 27 and 29 March and very busy on 24, 25 and 28 March; busy at the Merrivale Interchange on 21, 27 and 29 March and very busy on 28 March; very busy at the Mooi and Tugela Plaza and Van Reenen Pass on 28 March; at the Wilge Plaza there will be a spike on 21 March and be very busy on 28 March; Heidelberg will see a spike on 21 March and be very busy on 28 March.

Traffic toward Durban will be free-flowing but  busy on 18, 19, 23 and 25 March; busy at the Wilge Plaza on 19 March; busy at Van Reenen Pass on 18 March and very busy on 19, 24 and 25 March; busy at the Tugela Plaza on 19 March; busy at the Mooi Plaza on 19, 24, 25 and 28 March; busy at Merrivale Interchange on 18 and 21 March and very busy on 19, 24, 25 and 28 March; very busy at Ashburton on 18, 19, 24, 25 and 28 March and busy on 30 March; Mariannhill Plaza will be busy on 19 March.

N4 between Pretoria and Komatipoort

• Traffic toward Komatipoort will be free-flowing but busy at Solomon Mahlangu on 18 and 24 March; Eadie St busy on 18 and 24 March; free-flowing at the Middelburg, Machadadorp and Nkomazi Plazas.
• Traffic toward Pretoria will be free-flowing at the Nkomazi Plaza, very busy at the Machadadorp and Middelburg Plazas on 28 March; busy at Eadie St and Solomon Mahlangu on 28 March.

 N4 at Swartruggens Plaza

Traffic at the plaza in both directions will be free-flowing.

• N5 between Winburg and Harrismith – traffic will be free-flowing.
• N6 between East London and Bloemfontein – traffic will be free-flowing.
• N7 between Cape Town and Springbok – traffic will be free-flowing.
• N8 between Upington and Maseru – traffic will be free-flowing.
• N9 between George and Colesberg – traffic will be free-flowing.
• N10 between Nakop (Namibian border) via Cradock to Port Elizabeth – traffic will be free-flowing.
• N12 between George, Kimberley, Johannesburg and Witbank – traffic will be free-flowing but busy at Stilfontein on 28 March toward Potchefstroom.
• N14 between Springbok and Pretoria – traffic will be free-flowing.
• N17 between Johannesburg and Oshoek (Swaziland border) – traffic will be free-flowing but busy on 28 March at Davel toward Springs.

 

No major delays expected on route from Cape to Namibia during Easter

Travelling on the N7 freeway linking the Western Cape and Namibia should be trouble-free during the Easter holidays and road users will likely not experience major delays caused by roadworks.

Road maintenance activities will, however take place on the 198km stretch between the Melkbos turn-off and Clanwilliam and speed limits will be in place at various sections.

“The national and provincial road network is a safe environment and if drivers stick to the rules of the road and display tolerance and courtesy towards fellow road users, we should be able to cut down on the unacceptably high rate of fatal crashes,” says Vusi Mona, spokesperson for the South African National Roads Agency SOC Ltd (SANRAL).

On the N7 construction activities will be encountered at sections from the Atlantis turn-off and Kalbaskraal, between Abbotsdale and the Voortrekker Road interchange, from the Cederberg T-junction to Kransvleikloof and from there to Clanwilliam. Stop/control points may be in place during certain times of the day and speed will be reduced to 80km/h.

The Easter holiday – from Friday 25 to Monday 28 March – is traditionally a period when there is a rapid spike in traffic on most major national and provincial highways. The school holidays of all nine provinces coincide this year and traffic flow is expected to increase towards the end of this period prior to the reopening of schools on 5 April.

Mona calls on road users to obey speed limits and slow down at demarcated areas where temporary construction might take place.

SANRAL is taking great care to prevent pedestrians or stray animals from entering the freeway network but road users are cautioned to adjust their speed especially during night times.

 

Primary national artery in great shape for holiday traffic

Travelling on the N1 freeway between Cape Town and Gauteng should be mostly trouble free during the Easter holiday period and road users will likely not experience major delays caused by roadworks.

“The national and provincial road network is a safe environment and if drivers stick to the rules of the road and display tolerance and courtesy towards fellow road users, we should be able to cut down on the unacceptably high rate of fatal crashes,” says Vusi Mona, spokesperson for the South African National Roads Agency SOC Ltd (SANRAL).

The recent introduction of automated pay systems at toll plazas on the busiest national highways connecting Gauteng with the rest of the country is improving traffic flows and contributing to safer journeys.

Road users with electronic tags no longer have to stop at toll plazas such as Grasmere, south of Johannesburg, Vaal, Verkeerdevlei and Brandfort on the N1/R30 south. To the north of Pretoria automated toll plazas will offer alternative payment options to travellers at the Baobab, Capricorn, Kranskop, Nyl and Sebetiela plazas.

“One tag lifts all booms at plazas where the automated payment system is already in place,” says Mona. It enables motorists to plan their travel in advance, cuts down on waiting time at plazas and reduces the levels of driver fatigue and frustrations during long journeys.

“This, again, demonstrates how SANRAL’s investments in cutting-edge technology and smart road systems are contributing to a safer road environment,” says Mona.

The Easter holiday – from Friday 25 to Monday 28 March – is traditionally a period when there is a rapid spike in traffic on most major national and provincial highways. The school holidays of all nine provinces coincide this year and traffic flow is expected to increase towards the end of this period prior to the reopening of schools on 5 April.

Construction work during peak hour traffic will be limited and no journeys on any of the major highways will be delayed by more than 20 minutes due to road building activities.

The most important road construction is being undertaken in the Free State. Between Bloemfontein and Kroonstad parts of the road are being upgraded and traffic will be temporarily diverted near Trompsburg.

A compulsory stop will in place about five kilometres to the south of Touws River on the stretch between Rawsonville and Laingsburg. Minor construction work is also undertaken at various other locations in the Karoo.

Mona calls on road users to obey speed limits and slow down at demarcated areas where temporary construction might take place. SANRAL is taking great care to prevent pedestrians or stray animals from entering the freeway network but road users are cautioned to adjust their speed especially during night times.