REGIONS

People safety a priority

In an effort to improve the safety of pedestrians along a section of the busy N2 south, SANRAL has constructed proper walkways and bus bays.

An added feature of this project has been the use of local labour, in keeping with SANRAL’s commitment to support the efforts by government to push back the frontiers of poverty and improve the lives of South African citizens in general, by promoting community development.

Gavin Harrison, SANRAL Eastern Region Project Manager, said the construction of pedestrian facilities was designed to cater for the substantial pedestrian traffic using a section of the N2 south to commute between residential areas and places of employment and schools in the area.

“Part of our community development initiatives are the provision of pedestrian facilities and safe access points for communities living next to the national road network. Such projects include the upgrading of access roads that link to a national

road, the upgrading of existing gravel service roads to surfaced roads and the construction of pedestrian walkways.

“Apart from the social development that these projects facilitate, SMMEs undertake the construction of the community access roads.”

Harrison said the construction of the sidewalks for pedestrians between Oribi Toll Plaza and Albersville Bridge on the N2 south completes the section between the Oribi Toll Plaza and the existing pedestrian sidewalk (constructed two years ago).

This project also included the construction of two taxi/bus bays and strategically placed reinforced-concrete stairways. These stairways provide a safe link between the sidewalk facilities and the existing access points.

Three SMMEs were appointed to carry out works involving road marking, signage, hand railings, concrete works and erosion protection works, at a cost of R3.4m. A total of 21 women and 42 men from the local community were employed on this project.

Construction on Loskop Dam to finish this year

Residents of Groblersdal in Mpumalanga will finally have some peace, following months of frustration as a section of the N11, between Middelburg and Loskop Dam, was rehabilitated. Construction on section 10 started in February 2015.

The SANRAL-led project is expected to be completed in August, at an investment of R404m. Overall there have been no delays on the project and we are moving according to schedule.

SANRAL Project Manager Riaan Oerlemans said that about 90 blasts had been conducted successfully. Thirty-six were for subsoil – found below the top soil, it consists of minerals such as sand, clay, gravel and rock, depending on the location. The project has employed more than 165 locals and a total of 22 subcontractors were used in the project as part of SANRAL’s community development initiative.

This road is an important link to Loskop Dam Nature Reserve, which is a major attraction in the region, which is home to more than 70 species of wildlife – including buffalo, leopard and white rhino.