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Small Projects Bring BIG Advantages – Spotlight On Madidi Village

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The country’s national road agency does not only handle massive construction projects. It also assists communities which live along its roads, creates jobs and boosts SMMEs.

It also is happy to be involved in smaller projects – but which have huge advantages for local people, such as in Madidi which is in the Madibeng Local Municipality.

Some time ago a local ward councillor (Suzan Nthangeni) approached SANRAL for assistance to upgrade a six kilometre stretch of gravel road, which is Madidi’s main entry and exit route. The road had deteriorated to such an extent that taxis, buses and delivery vehicles refused to use it, forcing residents to walk long distances in order to leave or enter the area.

SANRAL decided to assist as part of its policy to support job creation and community development.

It reached agreement with the North West province to re-lay the road with an asphalt surface at a cost of R30 million, with the province and SANRAL each contributing R15 million.

The partners identified 13 local contractors and put them through an accredited business training course. They were then registered as start-up contractors by the Construction Industry Development Board.

Supervisors were identified and trained, and about 600 local people were trained as road construction workers.

The opportunity created jobs for two years and the local economy was boosted. Public transport improved significantly and new taxis were purchased, car wash businesses were opened and other businesses started to thrive. Above all, contractors in the area were empowered with road construction skills.

The road was of officially handed to the community on 14 October 2011, where learner contractors were also given competency certificates.

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The new road has brought significant benefits to the community. Examples include:

– Development of new skills, with a few contractors managing to secure additional work. SANRAL maintains a data base with contractor details and refers these to its own national road contractors who may need to subcontract work.

– Taxis, buses and delivery vehicles now use the road, and taxis have even lowered their fares to take into account the reduced wear and tear on their vehicles.

– Sidewalks and designated crossing points have improved pedestrian safety, particularly for school children.

Nthangeni, the ward councillor who initiated the project, has moved up and is now the Madibeng Municipality’s Member of Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Finance.

She says:

“SANRAL has really changed the lives of people in Madidi. We are proud to have worked with such an agency, which listens to the concerns of ordinary people and assists them. The road built by SANRAL in this village will remain its heritage and asset for many years to come.

The quality of the road itself is an indication of the efforts taken by the roads agency during its construction phase. The road has brought economic life to Madidi.

It has improved mobility, and above all, it has improved road safety in the area. Our sincere thanks to SANRAL and the North West Provincial Government for their excellent contribution in bringing about positive change in Madidi.”

SANRAL has undertaken similar projects but the Madidi road upgrade was particularly successful because of the strong provincial and local political support it received.

Blasting between Port Alfred to Fish River

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SANRAL would like to notify motorists of travel delays on the R72 between Port Alfred and Fish River due to blasting taking place at Shaw Park quarry. The blasting will take place on Wednesday, 13 January 2016 at 3pm.

The Shaw Park quarry is situated next to the R72, near the intersection of the R72 with the gravel road leading to Shaw Park. The quarry extends from the SANRAL kilometre markers 20,800 to 21,200.

Motorists are requested to plan their trips accordingly and be cautious when making use of the road, and comply with the directions of safety personnel.

Roadworks continue in Port Elizabeth

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SANRAL would like to advise motorists of roadworks taking place throughout this week in Port Elizabeth, within the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality in the Eastern Cape.

– Stanford undercuts started yesterday (Monday, 11 January 2016). There will be lane closures between the Stanford and William Moffett interchange in a westerly direction, with the double lane merging into a single traffic lane.
– Construction of concrete lined drains started yesterday (Monday, 11 January 2016) past the Bluewater Bay interchange in an easterly direction. There will be lane closures with a double lane being merged into a single traffic lane.
– Asphalt overlay is set to start today (Tuesday) or tomorrow (Wednesday) at Bluewater Bay in a westerly direction. There will be lane closures with the double lanes merged into a single traffic lane.

Motorists are urged to travel with caution, plan their trips in advance or take alternative routes.
Reduced speed limits will also be enforced.

AARTO amendment: the facts and not OUTA’s fiction

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Failure to pay tolls has been an infringement under the AARTO legislation since 2008. To leave the impression, as OUTA does, that the regulatory changes to Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences Act (AARTO) proposed in the Government Gazette on December 7 are new, is completely off the mark.

What the changes do mean, though, is positive for motorists – the only amendment to provisions relating to toll infringements is the removal of the demerit points for the failure to comply with a toll sign.

“It is a pity, then, that the Opposition to Urban Tolling (OUTA) negates this by its warning about a looming tax revolt. It completely misunderstands the proposed changes and its dire warnings are misplaced,” says Vusi Mona, General Manager of Communications at SANRAL.

“This is a clear case where a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.”

The facts are further that the Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) proposes that AARTO notices should have room for notification of more than one infringement. This is legal. Should anybody wish to contest an infringement notice, photographic evidence on which this can be based, is available.

The other proposed amendment is regarding the extension of the period for service of an infringement notice from forty (40) to ninety (90) days. This is proposed to allow for a more practical arrangement that will ensure that alleged infringers receive notices within the service period.

“To connect any of this with e-tolling is another misjudgement – a multiple charge notice may be used by any issuing authority for any infringements. It is in fact simply a practical amendment that will save administrative and postal costs,” says Mona.

There is also confusion about the need to include the name of the magisterial district where the infringement occurred. This is not necessary in terms of the AARTO act but is in terms of the Criminal Procedure Act.

“These are the facts. Thus, there is no attempt to introduce any new provisions,” said Mona.

The sun lights the way as SANRAL protects the environment

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The national roads agency is going solar.

Toll plazas managed by SANRAL and its concessionaires have, in the past, received their power from the national electricity grid. This power is used for the daily activities of the toll plazas – which operate on a 24/7 basis – as well as supporting infrastructure such as warehouses, training centres or workshops.

SANRAL made a decision to depart from a “business as usual” approach with the introduction of a solar plant at the Dalpark Plaza on the N17. This was a bold move as energy, and renewable energy, in particular, is outside SANRAL’s core business activities and primary areas of expertise.

The agency introduced the use of renewable energy sources in managing road infrastructure and activities as far back as 2008 with the use of Variable Message Signs (VMS) during the construction of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project. This was later extended to fixed points along some of the major corridors in Cape Town and Durban.

Subsequently, SANRAL introduced solar-powered toll plazas at two of its plazas. The Dalpark Plaza – a SANRAL-run plaza – uses a solar plant for its mainline toll plaza operations and the Diamond Hill Plaza (managed by TRAC) started using solar power as an alternative energy source in September 2014.

Solar panels on the top of the plaza collect sun power which is then converted into electricity to run the operational requirements of the plaza. At Dalpark, all the operations, as well as an adjacent workshop, are run using solar power during daytime. It generates 65 kilowatts of power into the grid (on average).

Diamond Hill generates up to 40 kilowatts of power for the grid and, depending on the weather conditions, has resulted in savings on energy of more than 50%. As such, solar power is used to run all operations.

The two plants serve as pilot projects and the objective is to roll out further solar powered toll plazas along the 3 120 kilometres of freeway that constitute SANRAL’s toll road portfolio.

In addition, energy-efficient lighting has been fitted to reduce consumption. This means that by replacing conventional luminaires with LED technology, the agency is able to save 30% of its power requirement. Had this not been done, far more solar panels would have had to be fitted at a much greater expense.

Meanwhile, as road construction and maintenance activities have an inevitable impact on the environment, SANRAL’s approach is to mitigate the impact of these activities with interventions such as the use of Reclaimed Asphalt (RA).

For example, in the rehabilitation of the N2 between Murchison and Marburg, the use of RA was specified at 40%, resulting in 40% less aggregate to be crushed, thus less basic rock excavated from quarries, and in turn less diesel was used in loading, transporting, and crushing of rock for aggregate, bitumen imports.

This translates to significant cost saving and also eliminates the need for disposal of used road building material, which means no requirement for landfilling which also comes at the usual costs of transport and space.

SANRAL has a dedicated environmental unit which oversees environmental impact assessment programmes prior to construction programmes and monitors the subsequent management of the construction process and gives input to maintenance programmes.

SANRAL’s approach is to go beyond compliance with the applicable national and provincial legislation. It is committed to an approach of ‘continual improvement’ that is demonstrated by the increasing use of renewable energy in road infrastructure management and reflected in its general environmental practices and support for research activities at tertiary institutions.

An example of this proactive approach is its early decision to completely eliminate tar products used for road construction and to switch to asphalt which is bitumen-based and more environmentally friendly

Construction projects on major roads such as the N2 in the Eastern Cape were accompanied by projects to relocate protected plants in collaboration with botany experts from the academic and research communities. Where required, road plans are changed to protect and conserve sensitive ecological areas.

SANRAL continues to conduct research into areas such as noise reduction caused by traffic on road surfaces and follows global trends in the sustainable management of road infrastructure.

Your career starts here

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A new year, a fresh start. Is this the year you reach new heights with a set career path? Perhaps we can help steer you in the right direction with our scholarship, bursary and internship programmes.

It is known that there is a shortage of technical skills in South Africa. This is not only a challenge to us at SANRAL but is a general problem in both developed and developing societies. The problem is exaggerated in South Africa due to our history of inferior education for the majority, our fast-growing economy, extra demands within the industry and competition from overseas employers.

SANRAL offers internal and external bursaries to assist aspiring engineers and technical staff in entering the field of road construction. We also encourage skills development in related fields: community and economic development, project management, marketing, communication and general administration.

Kick-start your career, today, and start 2016 on a high note, here.

Building roads through bursaries

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Helping others ends up as helping yourself, could be a way to describe what the country’s road agency does in the field of education. Roads – education? Indeed, SANRAL needs engineers, so does South Africa. The agency has stepped in to assist with full bursaries, but also internships. So, in this way SANRAL helps itself but also the country.

Mercy Masia

One such full bursary is enabling Mercy Masia to pursue her dream of becoming a civil engineer.

The senior student at Wits University says she thoroughly enjoys the workshops arranged by SANRAL that provide her with the practical insight and experience required for her future career path.

For Mercy, the biggest challenge facing her as a student is to ensure all her work is done in time. Although she enjoys recreational reading in her spare time, she often reads her textbooks for the upcoming semester during the holidays, so that she can get ahead and be prepared.

Thus, her advice to anyone who wants to follow her path is to “use every minute”. She emphasises that it is very important to do as much as possible, and that time must never be wasted if it can be used in a constructive manner.

The combination of hard work and using all available opportunities, abilities and resources, will hopefully lead Mercy to establish a successful career as an engineer. Her ultimate goal is to gain international experience and explore other cultures and work opportunities in the global environment.

SANRAL provides internships to engineering students at various tertiary institutions in South Africa to equip them with practical work experience as required by the degree curriculum. This programme is implemented in cooperation with contractors and consultants working with SANRAL.

In the 2014/2015 financial year, 217 students received internships and vacation jobs from SANRAL – the equivalent of 74% of the staff complement. In terms of a performance agreement between SANRAL and the Minister of Transport, the number of internships offered should be equal to 10% of the staff complement.

However, because of the high demand for practical experience within engineering fields, SANRAL has exceeded this requirement and now offers internship opportunities equivalent to 74% of the agency’s staff complement.

Sesethu Tywabi

Sesethu Tywabi was offered an internship by SANRAL while studying for her National Diploma in Civil Engineering at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology.

This was a most enriching experience for the young assistant resident engineer who hails from Umtata in the Eastern Cape. During the one year internship, she was placed with two major companies working on SANRAL construction projects on the N7, N1 and N12 roads.
You quickly gain experience in all aspects of road construction, she recalls.

“Your studies at university provide you with a solid theoretical background, but it is only when you are on the site of a construction project that you fully understand how this is implemented in practice.

Your knowledge is broadened by working with so many experienced engineers on projects and it provides you with a great start to your own future career.”

Sesethu says she is very grateful towards SANRAL for giving her the internship. The knowledge gained while working on projects also translated to her studies and enabled her to achieve distinctions in a number of subjects when she returned to the university.

“This experience helped to make up my mind to continue pursuing a career in transportation engineering.”

To find out more about our bursary programme, click here.

Changing a road to save plants

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Realigning a road and ramp is how far SANRAL will go to save indigenous and endangered plants. As a result, the road turned out more expensive but it saved some of the country’s precious plant heritage.

These far-reaching steps were taken by the national roads agency when it upgraded the N7 in the Western Cape between Melkbosstrand Road and Atlantis. Conserving the Swartland Shale Renosterveld was a significant environmental challenge as both were affected by the widening of the road and the construction of new interchanges.

An environmental assessment had found that the vegetation was deemed to be vulnerable to critically endangered and that mitigation measures would not reduce the loss of these highly valued conservation species.

The only way was to realign the road, despite the cost implications. At Melkbosstrand the alternative alignment crossed over the existing road before looping back to reduce the direct impact on the vegetation in question, thereby saving some 25,000 square metres of these endangered species.

But not all could be saved, so the rest were relocated to a site identified in consultation with the City of Cape Town.

The loop of a ramp at the Atlantis Interchange was reconfigured to a larger radius, thus maximising the area to be conserved within the interchange. The roads agency has taken responsibility for their long-term conservation too.

Particular attention was paid to the drainage mechanisms to ensure that the hydrological regime of the area will not be significantly altered by the road.

Dreams built by SANRAL

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Keeping vehicles safe on excellent roads is what SANRAL does. Less known is that it also gives people a leg-up and it is happy to help women grow into what is, too often, seen as a male environment – road building in its many facets.

Two individuals who can attest to this, are Kerisha Govender and Nonkululeko Nzimande.

Kerisha Govender

While on vacation, work on road construction projects has helped Kerisha make up her mind about a future career. Transport engineering beckons for this final year student at the Howard Campus of the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

She is especially grateful towards SANRAL, who not only provided her with a bursary to fund her tertiary education but also helped her to find work over the holiday periods with various civil engineering companies.

Together with other SANRAL bursary holders, she’s also provided with opportunities to take field trips to road construction projects where they are briefed by project managers and civil engineers about the nature of the work being done. This has helped to strengthen her resolve to continue with her studies for a Master’s degree and specialising in transport engineering.

Kerisha attributes her academic progress to a combination of hard work and perseverance.

“The key is to stay focused and not to be influenced by potential negative aspects of university life.”

But it is not all work and no play for the diligent Kerisha. In her spare time, she enjoys relaxing with family and friends, reading novels and playing the guitar.

Nonkululeko Nzimande

Equally diligent is Nonkululeko whose maxim is: “Never give up”.

She is a SANRAL bursary holder at the University of Pretoria. She is in her final year of studying towards a degree in civil engineering.

SANRAL has made a significant impact on Nonkululeko’s studies, granting her a bursary that covers course fees, accommodation, as well as an allowance. She has had this bursary from her second year and says:

“When I was in first year, I really struggled without the bursary. Since I received support from SANRAL, it has allowed me to focus on my studies rather than stressing about finances – especially the allowance that did not seem important, but helps more than I expected”.

In her spare time, Nonkululeko enjoys hanging out with friends and watching movies. She has also joined several organizations on campus that enable her to be more involved in general society. The various student societies allow her to do community work, including speaking to high school students in disadvantaged areas, inspiring and motivating them to take the next step in their education.

She says that an engineering degree, like life in general, is not easy, and everyone is bound to struggle and sometimes fail. When something goes wrong, Nonkululeko emphasises that it is vital to try again until you reach your goal. In addition, she advises that it is vital to love what you do, because if you don’t you are not always going to give it your all.

It is this passion that drives her towards her goal of success. When she graduates, she wants to pursue a career in Pavement Design. After completing an MBA, she wants to be a senior engineer and then, one day, will be aiming at being a director in a top firm.

Dreams, built by SANRAL!

Find out more about vacation work and building your career through SANRAL by clicking here.

Maths + Science = SUCCESS

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How do you ensure success? Boost skills in maths and science. SANRAL has made this a little easier with its recent joint launch of a new chair in science, mathematics and technology education with the University of the Free State.

The roads agency‘s R30 million endowment over five years is seed money used to establish the SANRAL Chair to help improve the quality of teaching in these vital subjects at township and rural schools. It will form part of the university’s Schools Partnership Project (SPP), a flagship initiative launched by the vice-chancellor, Prof Jonathan Jansen.

Education is one of the key priorities of the South African government and SANRAL has for many years been offering scholarships and bursaries to high school learners and university students.

The success of the government’s National Infrastructure Plan, which promises to create thousands of jobs and boost empowerment, will hinge on skills dependent on mathematics and science.

Infrastructure is critical to strengthening key value chains across our economy by advancing service delivery, bolstering job creation and expediting economic transformation.

By partnering with the University of the Free State and establishing the chair in science, mathematics and technology education, SANRAL will help to ensure that South African students can measure up to international standards in the mathematical world. And pave the way for personal success.

If you are interested in SANRAL’s scholarship, bursary or internship programmes, click here for all the information you need!