bridges officially
open!
T he completion of three bridges – one road bridge and two pedestrian bridges – in Botlokwa on the N1 between Polokwane and the Beitbridge Border Post marks a significant milestone for SANRAL.
The local community is divided by the busy highway and in recent years the community has seen more and more road fatalities. The elders of the community, together with the provincial roads authority, approached SANRAL with a request to improve safety along the route in the vicinity of Botlokwa.
After some discussions, it was decided that SANRAL would separate the passing traffic and the local people by lowering the road and fencing it off, then building a road bridge on the existing ground level and two pedestrian bridges above ground level. This way, the highway would be inaccessible to pedestrians, who could now cross safely.
The community wanted a level crossing at the busiest intersection, so that the bridge would be on the natural ground level. So the N1 was dropped by 7m, the road bridge was built with two 3m-wide walkways on either side of the road lanes
and the two additional pedestrian bridges at either end of the village were constructed above ground level.The road bridge is a substantial structure, spanning the newly
surfaced highway that flows beneath it. Community members can now continue their daily movement from one side of the village to the other at ground level, without fearing for their lives.
A total of 90 people employed during the various stages of the project were trained by accredited training service providers, while all labourers had informal training.
Work on the N1 generated 579 work opportunities, with R18.8m spent on wages.
In implementing the government’s priority of entrepreneurship and the advancement of SMMEs, 25 local SMMEs were subcontracted.
Fifteen local businesses (suppliers) were used for a range of services, including accommodation and transportation, plant hire and supply of materials. They earned approximately R6m.
T he national roads traversing Durban and surrounding areas, which were lashed by severe flooding on 10 October, suffered no damage, although there have been 13 confirmed deaths and more than half a billion rand in damages, mainly to buildings.
According to eThekwini municipality, engineering-related repairs will require an outlay of R308m‚ the human settlement department requires R250m‚ disaster management and emergency control R4.1m‚ parks and recreation R7.7m‚ cleansing and solid waste R1.3m‚ electricity R2.6m, and water and sanitation R2.3m.
When the heavy rains subsided after about five hours, residents of Durban were confronted by never-before-seen chaos and destruction.
Collapsed buildings and walls, enormous sinkholes on inner-city roads, massive power outages, blocked stormwater drains and sewer lines, flooded buildings and households and a sea of mud and debris was left for authorities to confront in the aftermath of the monster storm.
“In the wake of the heavy floods, no damage was reported to roads and bridges in SANRAL’s jurisdiction,” said Logashri Sewnarain, Eastern Region Manager.
Pranksters had used the flooding to send out hoax messages that there had been serious damage to the
Mt Edgecombe Interchange. They went as far as posting photos on social media showing what looked like part of the bridge structure had collapsed. This was actually an old photograph of the controlled demolition of an old bridge during construction of the new bridge at Mt Edgecombe Interchange.
A section of the N2 near the old Durban International Airport at Isipingo was flooded, causing many cars to be abandoned.
SANRAL Eastern Region Project Manager Bruno Cullen said this was due to the litter epidemic. Litter is collected once a week in the flood-affected area.
“There is a canal that runs along the R102 from 4th Avenue towards Prospecton Rd. It then goes through a culvert under Prospecton Rd and carries
on along Willcox Rd before turning and going under the N2 South of Prospecton Rd.
?“When there is a deluge in the affected area, the canal that runs along the R102 between Sabjee Road and Prospecton Rd floods the marshland next to the N2 and eventually floods into the N2 road reserve and onto the N2 Freeway.”
He said that the maintenance of
the culverts in SANRAL’s jurisdiction was carried out regularly. After every significant rainfall event, such as the 10 October storm, culverts are checked and cleared of debris.
Meanwhile, SANRAL records its appreciation and gratitude to all the emergency teams and rescue services that assisted following the widespread flooding.
