Blog - Page 86 of 153 - SANRAL Stop Over

Concrete section to be improved

24Apr2019

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Major rehabilitation and expansion works will include the removal and replacement of failed concrete slabs and thereafter the overlaying of the entire section.

It is with great pleasure that Trans African Concessions (TRAC) announces the rehabilitation of Sections N4-3 and N4-4, between the OR Tambo Interchange and the Van Dyksdrift Interchange.

This 17km stretch of the N4 Toll Route was originally built as a concrete road and currently has an asphalt overlay.

Major rehabilitation and expansion works will include the removal and replacement of failed concrete slabs and thereafter the overlaying of the entire section. In addition, 7km’s of passing lanes will be constructed.

The project

The project, valued at almost R300-million, is currently out on tender and is set start in July 2019.

It is expected to take 18 months to complete. Road users are advised that traffic flow will be affected throughout the project as lane reductions and/or deviations will be in effect.

Other upgrades and rehabilitation projects along the route are ongoing. These include the major upgrade between Belfast and Machadodorp, which resumed last month.

The R400-million project will see Section 5B rehabilitated and upgraded to a four-lane carriageway. Blasting started this month and the roadworks are expected to take 36 months to complete.

The major upgrade of the N4 between Matola and Maputo (Sections 19 and 20) in Mozambique is ongoing and Mozambican road users will soon have a six-lane carriageway to enjoy between these two cities.

This extensive project includes comprehensive roadworks between the Shoprite Centre Intersection in Matola and the 16 of June Circle in Maputo.

The project fell behind schedule due to circumstances beyond TRAC’s control, but it is now due for completion in July 2019.

Although closures relating to the roadworks will be in place until June 2019, streetlights are being installed and will be operational this month.

TRAC prides itself on offering quality road infrastructure and therefore continuously works on improving and maintaining their route.

Trans African Concessions would like to thank the public for their patience and understanding at construction zones and assures them of their continued commitment to maintaining the N4 Toll Route on par with world standards.

Paving the way forward

24Apr2019

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Pilot Crushtec and SANRAL enter into MoU to promote transformation and empowerment in South Africa.

Pilot Crushtec CEO Sandro Scherf and SANRAL CEO Skhumbuzo Macozoma shake hands following the MoU signing ceremony at Pilot Crushtec in Boksburg.

South Africa has the largest and, arguably, best road network on the continent. The continuous expansion and maintenance thereof generate billions in revenue and employs tens of thousands of individuals.

The barriers to entry for newcomers wishing to take advantage of this lucrative sector are, however, restrictive due to high cost of capital equipment and lack of expertise within the field.

It is with this in mind that Pilot Crushtec and SANRAL have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that will, among others, give small to medium enterprises access to expertise and machinery required to tender and execute major SANRAL projects.

Pilot Crushtec International was founded in 1990 and has established itself as southern Africa’s leading supplier of mobile and semi-mobile crushing, screening, recycling, sand washing, stockpiling, compacting and material handling solutions.

A win/win situation

Entering the MoU made perfect sense for both SANRAL and Pilot Crushtec.

As one of the industry leaders in the sector, Pilot Crushtec is well placed to be able to equip up and coming contractors and quarry owners with the opportunity to be educated by their team of experts who have over 30–years of experience in the field on how to get the most out of their operations.

Francois Marais, Pilot Crushtec sales and marketing director, said: “Additionally, we would really like the opportunity to promote our locally produced products for road building.

“These products are world leaders in the space and are exported to a number of international locations for manufacturing top grade road stone and aggregates.

“Both new, and existing clients will benefit from this initiative as we will be sharing our best practices and expertise in the quarrying and road stone manufacturing environment in order to ensure that south African roads are built using the best materials available.”

Skhumbuzo Macozoma, CEO of SANRAL, said: “It is our intention, with MoU’s like this, to open up the industry to new participants and remove many of the barriers that prevent companies owned by black people, women and youth entrepreneurs and other designated groups to compete effectively against the entrenched players in the construction sector.

“We hope that, via our co-operation with Pilot Crushtec we are able to promote growth of black business and take constructive steps to support a sector that has immense potential for growth and job creation.”

Macozoma said the partnership is proof that SANRAL’s efforts to transform the sector and promote fair competition are delivering results.

He added: “Lack of access to sophisticated machinery and equipment is a major barrier for small contractors and prevents them for participation in large tenders. By working together with established companies, we can remove these barriers and enable black-owned companies and enterprises owned by women and the youth to participate on a level playing field.

“This step will, no doubt, have a ripple effect within the construction and engineering industries and also benefit job creation within local communities where smaller enterprises now become part of the supply chains on larger projects.”

Benefits

The MoU will deliver several benefits to Pilot Crushtec, SANRAL, new contractors and the industry at large.

“Giving us access to young, up and coming contractors, who will get a chance to learn from our experience, is just the beginning. We will also be able to educate new contractors on how to produce the best quality road aggregates which will, by extension, improve roads across the country,” said Marais.

“We also produce and manufacture equipment locally that gets exported internationally for production of road aggregates, and it’s the best of its kind in the world. That said, there are cheaper imported products used in the country which may lead to inferior end-products being used in our roads. Case in point is our Twistertrac VSI which is used to create perfectly shaped road stone that is of the highest quality found internationally.

“It is our hope that, by collaborating on issues of financing, buy- back options, training of small contractor’s asset management and utilisation of crushing and screening machinery equipment, we can ensure a vibrant, robust industry for many years to come,” concluded Marais.

Building for better quality of life

24Apr2019

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The new N2 will open this coastal strip while also providing a safer, flatter and faster link between Durban and the industrial centres of East London and Port Elizabeth.

The new N2 will benefit businesses operating along the entire east coast as well as stimulating development of the Wild Coast.

The N2 Wild Coast road (N2WCR) construction project is one of SANRAL’s most ambitious.

It stretches over 410km from East London to the Eastern Cape’s boundary Progress on Community Development Programme with KwaZulu–Natal.

It is scheduled for completion in 2024 and will be a major factor in the development of some of South Africa’s most disadvantaged municipal areas.

The project has two main components:

A major upgrade of existing roads, the N2 between East London and Mthatha and the R61 between Mthatha and Ndwalane (near Port St Johns). The section-by-section improvement of these roads has been underway since 2011.
The construction of 96km of “greenfields” – or brand new – highway and 17km of upgrading between Ndwalane and the Mtamvuna River (near Port Edward) via Lusikisiki, serious building activity on this section commenced in 2018 with the Mtentu River mega-bridge, which will be the highest bridge in Africa.

Reasons to prioritise the Wild Coast:

The eastern half of the Eastern Cape cries out for economic and work opportunities. Its people suffer deprivation while living in a resource-rich area. Good road access is a pre-condition for development of the Wild Coast’s significant potential for tourism and other economic activity.
Once easier access and mobility is provided through the new road, the Pondoland stretch of the Wild Coast with its deep gorges, rugged coastline, many waterfalls, beautiful secluded beaches and unique flora and local culture, there will be huge potential for conventional-, adventure- and eco-tourism. Inland the high rainfall and fertile ground provides great potential for agricultural development.
The current N2 turns inland from Mthatha and due to the many deep gorges and poor road infrastructure there is a vast inaccessible land corridor along the coast between Port St John and Port Edward.

The new N2 will open this coastal strip while also providing a safer, flatter and faster link between Durban and the industrial centres of East London and Port Elizabeth.

It will benefit businesses operating along the entire east coast as well as stimulating development of the Wild Coast.

Currently the N2 east of Mthatha records exceptionally high numbers of road deaths. Contributing factors are driver behaviour, the volume of traffic, the mountainous terrain, mist, pedestrians and the straying of animals onto the road. Poor access to the area for emergency services increases the risk of fatalities.
Life is difficult in villages in the area. Breadwinners and learners commute long distances. They spend hours in buses and taxis or walking. Migrant workers seldom visit home. The new highway supported by the road access management system linking this high order road with lower order roads will be an important first step to safer, more convenient travel and a better quality of life. The upgrading of lower order roads found in the villages near the new route and linking these roads to the new N2 will translate into community development projects which will be constructed by local Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMME) through tendering and theoretical and practical training.

National roads set to be busy this Easter holiday

18Apr2019

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The Easter Holidays are traditionally a period when traffic increases on most major national and provincial highways.

Road users are advised to be vigilant over the Easter holidays.

Traffic is set to surge on national roads across the country from the afternoon of Thursday, 18th April through to Friday, 19th April – with traffic volumes expected to spike again from Monday, 22nd April to Tuesday 23rd April after a relatively calm weekend.

The Easter Holidays – from Friday 19th to Monday 22nd April – is traditionally a period when traffic increases on most major national and provincial highways, with the peak traffic times over the period being mostly on the Thursday before the long weekend and Easter Monday.

Traffic projections: 18th – 22nd April 2019

Travelers going towards Cape Town from the north will experience congestion at the Huguenot Tunnel and going northwards, again on Easter Monday.

There will be heavy traffic on Thursday, 18th April, on the N2, towards Caledon, and again on Easter Monday, going toward Grabouw.

The N3 will see heavy traffic traveling from the coast towards Johannesburg on Easter Monday at the Merrivale Interchange as well as going towards Durban from the Reef.

The same applies for the Machadadorp Plaza on the N4 going from Nelspruit to Middelburg on Easter Monday.

This is also true for the Brits Plaza on the same highway going west on the two days before Good Friday as well as Easter Monday. In the opposite direction, this holds for Thursday 18th April and Good Friday.

Heavy traffic volumes are expected on the N1 heading towards Polokwane on the day before Good Friday and coming back, toward Pretoria, on Easter Monday. Also along the N1, at Capricorn Plaza towards Beit Bridge, heavy traffic flows are expected on Thursday while going toward Polokwane heavy traffic and congestion will occur ln Easter Monday.

These are the expected peak travel times barring any unforeseen major traffic incidents or weather conditions.

Road works during Easter Holidays

“Construction work during peak hour traffic will be limited and no journeys on any of the major highways will be unnecessarily prolonged due to road building activities,” said Vusi Mona, General Manager for communications at the South African National Roads Agency (SOC) Limited (SANRAL).

Road safety

Mona calls on road users to obey speed limits, to take a break when tired and to refrain from texting and driving.

“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 on our roads,” said Mona.

SANRAL is taking great care to prevent pedestrians or stray animals from entering the freeway network but road users are cautioned to be vigilant, especially at night.

Expected traffic volumes

The table below gives an overview of expected heavy traffic volumes on major routes across the country.

Routes not included below will be free-flowing throughout the coming long weekend barring unforeseen weather and traffic incidents.

TRAC drives road safety awareness this Easter

18Apr2019

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To avoid traffic backlogs, all roadworks will be suspended for the long weekend. There will also be no Stop/Go’s or lane closures at construction sites throughout the route.

Statistics indicate that the Easter weekend sees the biggest surge in traffic volumes on this route, with traffic conditions expected to peak.

The N4 Toll Route expects high traffic volumes this Easter weekend as holiday-makers and workers travel from Gauteng to Mpumalanga and Mozambique.

In anticipation of these high volumes, Trans African Concessions (TRAC) will again boost its efforts to accommodate the influx of traffic and ensure that the N4, east of Tshwane, stays safe and congestion free.

Statistics indicate that the Easter weekend sees the biggest surge in traffic volumes on this route, with traffic conditions expected to peak as follows:

Thursday 18 April – 12:00 – 22:00
Friday 19 April – 08:00 – 14:00
Monday 22 April – 11:00 – 22:00

Road Safety Campaign

This is one of the driving factors of the TRAC N4 Easter Road Safety Awareness and Swift Response Campaign, held annually at Alzu Petroport, near Middelburg, and other strategic locations along the 570km route.

The first stage of the campaign will see TRAC hold a road safety activation on Friday 19 April at Alzu to interact with members of the public to generate road safety awareness, offer a well-deserved and proper rest stop (including free coffee and massages) and educate them about TRAC’s 24-hour Helpdesk and TRACAssist – both of which will be on full alert throughout the Easter holiday.

On 18, 19 and 22 April, emergency services and TRACAssist units will be stationed at strategic points on the route, from early in the morning until late in the evening, to reduce response times to roadside emergencies and incidents.

The stations will be at Bronkhorstspruit, Alzu (only on April 22), Middelburg Plaza, Milly’s, Kia Ora, Hectorspruit and the Matola Weighbridge in Mozambique.

Each one will serve as the central dispatch centre for their various sections of the N4 Toll Route.

TRACAssist and the TRAC 24-hour Helpdesk will lead this initiative, with the latter being the communications’ hub.

The TRAC Helpdesk is the first to be alerted of incidents on the road and therefore plays a vital role in this project.

Other participating emergency services include private and public ambulance services and paramedics, Fire and Rescue, Provincial Traffic, SAPS and pathology units.

Co-operation

TRAC will once again work with the Lebombo Border Control Operational Coordinating Committee to assist with traffic management measures en route to the border post.

This will be done through the provision of signage and other logistical requirements. The border will be open 24 hours a day from 16 to 26 April 2019 and road users are urged to plan their trip, accordingly, bearing in mind the heavy traffic volumes expected along the route and at the international crossing.

To avoid traffic backlogs, all roadworks will be suspended for the long weekend. There will also be no Stop/Go’s or lane closures at construction sites throughout the route. However, all construction areas are still deemed active and road users are urged to be cautious and obey road signage.

The safety and well-being of the N4 Toll Route’s road users is TRAC’s primary concern and we urge everyone using our beautiful route to make full use of our road safety initiative by calling the TRAC Helpdesk on 0800 87 22 64 in South Africa or +258 84 34 34 34 6 in Mozambique, for fast assistance and response to any problem.

TRAC introduces Express Lane at Diamond Hill

18Apr2019

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The Express Lane allows tag holders to keep driving, at a speed of 40km/h, while the tag reader picks up their tag.

TRAC’s fourth South African mainline plaza – Diamond Hill – now also has an automatic tag lane.

The introduction of automated electronic toll payments on the N4 Toll Route in 2017 was a great success.

This convenient method of paying tolls was embraced by a large percentage of our road users, which led TRAC to roll out Tag-Only lanes at three of its mainline plazas in South Africa – Middelburg, Machado and Nkomazi.

TRAC’s fourth South African mainline plaza – Diamond Hill – now also has an automatic tag lane.

However, it is an Express Lane which means that road users can pay their toll without stopping at all.

Unlike the Tag-Only lanes where road users still have to stop their vehicles for a few seconds, the Express Lane allows tag holders to keep driving, at a speed of 40km/h, while the tag reader picks up their tag.

The Express Lane is situated on the extreme left of the plaza (in each direction) and works in three phases, namely:

First boom where you enter the Express Lane. The signage reads “Tag Only” if open or there’s a red cross if it’s closed.

Reading Zone – this is the area where the tag is read.

Proceed/Ejection Point.

If the electronic tag has funds and is in working order the road user will see two green arrows and the words “Proceed”.

The lane on the left will open and the road user will join the main road after the plaza. If the electronic tag is faulty or the funds are depleted, the road user will see two red arrows and the word “Eject”.

The boom on the right will open and the road user will be directed back to the main plaza to pay the toll fees via an alternative payment method.

“The Express Lane really speaks to the ease and convenience of automatic electronic tag payments,” said TRAC CEO Graham Esterhuysen.

“It alleviates traffic congestion during peak times and is certainly an easier, faster and safer toll payment method.”

Manual payments

Those who prefer to do things manually still have the option of doing so as all existing payment methods are still accepted at all toll booths on the N4 Toll Route.

These are as follows:

Class 1: Cash, credit card, garage/petrol card, fleet card, TRAC concession card.

Class 2 – 4: Cash, fleet card, TRAC concession card.

Road users are reminded that debit cards, Diners Club, American Express and all other international cards are NOT accepted methods of payment for any class of vehicle on the N4 Toll Route.

Road users should also note that although TRAC’s two Mozambican plazas also accept automated electronic tag payments, the Mozambican and South African systems are NOT linked and neither countries’ tags will work in the other.

For more information on automated electronic tags, visit www.nra.co.za contact the SANRAL Call Centre on 0800 726 725 or the TRAC 24-hour helpdesk via email at helpdesk@tracn4.co.za or on 0800 87 22 64.

You can also visit www.tracn4.co.za

Safer roads for Pretoria pedestrians and cyclists this Easter

18Apr2019

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Its elegant structure, with an arched steel plate girder substructure and a cast in situ concrete deck, has been engineered to international standards with pedestrians and cyclists in mind.

A team of 20 workers and 3 cranes lifted the ready-made substructure into place.

A new, and attractive bridge will soon be ready for use by pedestrians and cyclists near Hoërskool Waterkloof in Pretoria.

Progress Hlahla, Northern Region Manager for the South African National Roads Agency (SOC) Limited (SANRAL), said: “Safer roads for everyone means safer roads for both pedestrians and motorists.”

This comes in the wake of the erection of the new pedestrian bridge over the N1 at Erasmusrand which took place this past weekend.

“When pedestrians attempt to cross our highways, they place their lives and those of other road users at risk. The number of road fatalities we see throughout the year is very worrying. It is our hope that this new bridge will reduce the chances of pedestrian crashes on our roads”, said Hlahla.

A team effort

SANRAL constructed the new pedestrian bridge in just 20 hours this weekend.

A team of 20 workers and 3 cranes lifted the ready-made substructure into place. All that needs to be done now to make the bridge operational, is to cast the in-situ concrete deck which will take about a month.

The bridge will cost about R 22,3-million and should remain standing for decades to come as SANRAL’s world-class bridge management system ensures proper inspection.

“The new bridge has been in design to replace an old damaged one which was demolished in May 2016 due to safety concerns. Its elegant structure, with an arched steel plate girder substructure and a cast in situ concrete deck, has been engineered to international standards with pedestrians and cyclists in mind,” said Alan Agaienz, SANRAL’s Project Manager: Design and Construction.

Design

The bridge was designed by Gerard du Plessis of Superstructures (Pty) Ltd and is a wholly South African design effort.

SANRAL required the design to be manufactured off-site, and to be self-supporting without any central pier in the median.

The original bridge was an elegant steel portal frame design with a pre-cast concrete deck, which served the residents and workers of Erasmusrand and pupils of Hoërskool Waterkloof for many years before it was badly damaged by a truck in January 2015.

Agaienz said that the structure was erected in two separate sections and welded in the middle to create the permanent structure.

“The temporary middle support pier will be removed after 28 days when the concrete in the deck has cured. This design was chosen out of five possible options because it was the most cost effective and aesthetically pleasing solution”, he said.

The costs of the demolition of the old structure and construction of the new bridge are covered by SANRAL’s insurance.

SANRAL career expo to kick-off in Mangaung

12Apr2019

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The expo seeks to expose schools to career opportunities, internships, scholarship and bursary programmes available in SANRAL.

SANRAL continues to make available relevant information to school learners in order to assist them to make wise career choice decisions.

The South African National Roads Agency (SOC) Limited (SANRAL) will host a Career Expo for grade 10 to 12 learners who are undecided about a career to follow.

Learners will gain valuable insights at the expo to be held from today 12 April 2019 from 9am to 2pm at the Mangaung Indoor Sports Centre, Bloemfontein, Free State.

The expo seeks to expose schools to career opportunities, internships, scholarship and bursary programmes offered by SANRAL.

Skills development

SANRAL is committed to developing skills of learners who express an interest in studying and building a career with SANRAL or similar organisations, within the built environment; specifically, in the fields of road infrastructure, environmental management and the civil engineering industry.

In addition to developing and managing the national road network, SANRAL continues to make available relevant information to school learners in order to assist them to make wise career choice decisions.

Dumisani Nkabinde, SANRAL Eastern Region regional manager said: “SANRAL needs specialists in fields ranging from engineering to the environment and, more recently, in electronics as it increases the use of technology to detect and respond to incidents, and to keep road users aware of conditions on the national network. The Career Expo will provide a platform for well-established businesses and organisations to educate and engage with young people.”

In addition to SANRAL, several other exhibitors will showcase what opportunities are available for learners within their respective organisations, and will delve into the minimum requirements enabling them the possibility of building a career at these organisations.

Spinoffs from N2WCR project

12Apr2019

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Once completed, the road will improve access, mobility for all road users including tourists.

Skhumbuzo Macozoma, SANRAL CEO, said economic development opportunities for local SMMEs and local businesses, both direct and indirect, will be created.

The N2 Wild Coast Road (N2WCR) is a catalytic route for regional, local and socio-economic development.

As a flagship project of South African National Roads Agency (SOC) Limited (SANRAL), the N2WCR is expected to bring much-needed changes to the local and national economy, boost tourism and improve transport nodes.

In terms of transport, we can expect to see significantly faster delivery times and lower transportation costs. It is estimated that approximately R1.55-billion will be saved per annum in time costs savings for motorists and freight operators.

The project will have a major positive impact on GDP through accelerated business development and income-multiplier effects. For every R1 invested by Government approximately R3.15 will be generated in GDP (ROI of 3.15).

The N2WCR greenfield portion will be an investment of over R9-billion.

This, together with local socio-economic development, will provide job opportunities, (8 000 full time equivalent direct jobs and 16 to 18 000 indirect jobs) during construction.

Economic development opportunities for local SMMEs and local businesses, both direct and indirect, will be created.

There will be positive impact on the economies of Port St Johns, Lusikisiki and Mzamba, as well as towns such as Flagstaff, Bizana and Holy Cross.

Mobility and development

In addition to SMME development and local socio-economic growth, the project will also improve access for agriculture, health care, education and other social and economic opportunities.

Once completed, the road will improve access, mobility and will attract more tourists to the area. This will lead to major eco-tourism and conventional tourism opportunities.

This project currently includes two 24-month training and development programmes for 20 SMMEs. Three programmes have already been completed where 31 SMMEs received similar training.

There are other training and development projects in the planning stages and they will be rolled out over the next three years.

Current disputes about the Mtentu Bridge contract will, unfortunately, lead to delays. SANRAL is disappointed by the decision of the contractor to terminate construction activities.

However, we remain committed to this project because of its potential to contribute to the economic transformation of the Eastern Cape.

This is an opinion piece by Skhumbuzo Macozoma, SANRAL CEO.