CONCESSIONAIRES
SANRAL’S 2030 strategy gets thumbs-up from Bakwena
Bakwena Platinum Corridor Concessionaire (Bakwena), operator of the N1N4 routes, supports SANRAL’s Horizon 2030 Strategy, which was presented to its various stakeholders on 29 September 2017. Bakwena commercial manager Liam Clarke said that as a contributor of private funding, Bakwena understands the challenges faced by SANRAL. “As the SANRAL report highlights, road infrastructure competes for national funding with a host of other socioeconomic imperatives. This is why an integrated funding strategy makes so much sense and why public-private partnerships play such an important role in the funding of South Africa’s roads. “Concessionaires invest heavily in road infrastructure by developing green- or brown-fields projects. Their investment into infrastructure saves the government money and allows the fiscus to be spent on other areas, including further road development,” he said. In the period leading up to 2010, R15bn was spent on South Africa’s roads infrastructure using private funding. If this had been left to funding from the fiscus, SANRAL would only have achieved this spend by 2018. The greatest challenge is to educate the public to understand the concept of benefits exceeding total costs (including toll) of a concession toll road.
Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Brake for Wildlife campaign
The Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) asked road users in December 2017 to join a campaign to address the impact of transport infrastructure on wildlife.
It asked road users to add their sightings to help find crucial information about the status of our wildlife. EWT Wildlife and Roads Project Executant Wendy Collinson said: “If we know more about where particular species are being killed on our roads, we can put plans in place to lessen this impact.”
Roadkill data can be emailed to roads@ewt.org.za or submitted via EWT’s Road Watch app. Visit the iTunes or Play store to download this app. Further details can be found on www.ewt.org.za.
When reporting roadkill, the following information should be provided:
• Location of roadkill (GPS coordinates)
• Identification of species (as best as possible)
• Date and time it was seen
Notes on the habitat type at the particular section of the route where the roadkill was located (riverine, grassland, rocky, wetland, etc) would also be useful. Good identification photos (particularly if the carcass is squashed) require a little bit of attention. Only stop and take a photo if it is safe to do so, then try to record the following: Birds: Tail and wing feathers; beak and feet (if the whole bird is no longer there) and eye Reptiles: Scales; head shape; foot shape (if applicable)
Amphibians: Foot shape (webbed); presence of warts; colouration around head and eye Mammals: Fur/hair colour; body size; tooth type (carnivore or herbivore).

TRAC upgrades and rehabilitation works

The upgrade and rehabilitation of certain sections of the N4 Toll Route are progressing well and Trans African Concessions (TRAC) is confident that the road works being undertaken will further cement this cross-border route as one of the best highways in Africa.
Expansion and rehabilitation work between the Highveld and OR Tambo Interchanges began in April 2017 and comprises the expansion of this section into a six-lane carriageway. Roadworks for this R290m project are being done in the median, between km19 and km31, and will also include the widening of eight bridges, pavement rehabilitation and ancillary works such as guardrails and drainage upgrades.
Another section of the TRAC N4 toll road under construction is the section between Malaga Hotel and Montrose intersection in Elands Valley. This project, which also started in April, will see 5km of passing lanes added and extensive rehabilitation work being done to 23km of pavement.
Due to the topography of the section, permanent stop-and-gos are in place. The average stoppage time at each stop-andgo is approximately 30 minutes.
TRAC’s extensive upgrades on the Mozambican side of the N4 Toll Route are also ongoing. The scope of work between Ressano Garcia and Moamba includes the rehabilitation of the road and six bridges, including the Moamba Interchange. Two permanent stopand- gos are currently in effect and delays of approximately 15 minutes can be expected.
The upgrade of the N4 in Maputo includes comprehensive roadworks between the Shoprite Centre Intersection in Matola and the 16 of June Circle in Maputo. It further includes the construction of two additional lanes (one in each direction), which in turn will result in a six-lane carriageway in this section.