Safety overhaul for crossings
Road safety is a major priority for SANRAL and significant safety upgrades are under way in the Northern Cape, specifically just outside Kimberley
Construction has recently started for the upgrading of the three major intersections on the R31 Main Road, between Barkly West and Landbou Road. The intersections will be turned into traffic circles. The upgrade will also include a new access road, midway between the R31/R357 and N8/R31intersections.
The objective is to improve not just the smoothness of the ride, but road safety as well. The intersections in their current form experience regular traffic incidents caused by speeding vehicles. This has caused many serious injuries among drivers and passengers and in some instances, deaths.
An intersection has 24 pedestrian and 32 vehicle conflict points. These are places where the paths of turning vehicles diverge, merge, or cross each other. A traffic circle has only eight and clearly makes circles a safer alternative. SANRAL’s Western Region Manager Kobus van der Walt said that there will be added safety for pedestrians and night drivers.
“This contract makes provision for surfaced sidewalks and pedestrian crossings, along with kerbed, surfaced median islands, within each roundabout approach. The installation of street lighting at each of the three roundabouts and their approaching roads has a significant safety
benefit for
drivers, pedestrians and cyclists during nighttime conditions, as accidents
frequently happen early in the morning
or late at night, when visibility is
compromised,” he said.
Just short of R90m has been
earmarked for this upgrade project.
SANRAL is committed to creating
engineering solutions for safer roads.
However, the buy-in of all road users,
including pedestrians, is needed, so
that road safety can become a way of
life, and not just awareness campaigns
in the aftermath of a tragedy.
Last year, media reports indicated
that the Northern Cape had the highest
spike in road deaths over the Easter
period – 175%.
This is alarming and the
conscious commitment of every road user is needed to put an end to the
carnage.
Though SANRAL is being proactive
about saving Northern Cape road
users’ time, trouble and injury with this
project, we acknowledge that enduring
road works when you’re a driver can
cause its own hassles.
“Road works inevitably give rise
to traffic delays, particularly in the
absence of alternative routes,” said
van der Walt. “The patience and
cooperation of residents is deeply
appreciated and we cannot stress
enough the importance of extra
vigilance and awareness when travelling
through the construction areas.”
The R9bn investment that SANRAL has put aside for the greenfields portion of the N2 Wild Coast Road (N2WCR) project in the Eastern Cape will go a long way towards improving the lives of ordinary people in the Mpondoland area of the province, said SANRAL’s Craig McLachlan.
The N2WCR project will be a high-mobility route that will link the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, significantly lowering transportation time and costs, and improving accessibility to a large part of the Eastern Cape. It will be a catalyst for sustainable local economic and
social development.
“SANRAL will continue to be a
developmental partner for the
OR Tambo and Alfred Nzo District
Municipalities and will continue to keep
the different stakeholders in the region
abreast of the project’s developments,”
he said.
Speaking to leaders of government, business, traditional leaders and community organisations, SANRAL convened its flagship Taking SANRAL to the People programme in Lusikisiki to share information and forge partnerships with the affected communities and other stakeholders on the project.
The roads agency will open a regional
office in nearby Flagstaff.
“We make every effort to promote
transformation by ensuring that SMMEs
are exposed to work experiences that
were previously not possible,” said
SANRAL Southern Regional Manager
Mbulelo Peterson.
The opening of the Flagstaff office will make it easier for the OR Tambo and Alfred Nzo communities to connect with SANRAL. Flagstaff was identified as the most central area for the entire greenfields section of the project. This means local SMMEs do not have
to
travel to Port Elizabeth to collect and
submit tenders.“The Flagstaff office will be where
local people can contact SANRAL
directly. There will be a tender
office where tenders for SMMEs
can be collected and submitted
and tender briefings can be held.
There will also be temporary work
space and meeting facilities for
project managers attending project
meetings and site visits,”
Peterson said.
Working with the provincial
government and municipalities,
SANRAL continues to upgrade
roads that provide infrastructure and
enable agro-industrial and tourism
development for the Eastern Cape.
Building South Africa through better roads 