R52 improvement creates opportunities
Road users in Bojanala Platinum District Municipality will be brought closer to various destinations as SANRAL embarks on a project to improve the R52, which is the shortest and most convenient route between Koster and Rustenburg. The road is currently a 38.7km, two-lane single-carriageway from Koster to Rustenburg, with gravel shoulders. Improvements will include the addition of paved shoulders, as well as the construction of appropriate surfacing, which will improve overtaking opportunities and decrease the high risk of car crashes due to potholes. Motorists will enjoy these benefits at no extra cost, as this road will not be tolled.
It will also make the road safer. The R52 is at a very early stage of design, which will take 24 months to complete, said SANRAL Project Manager Lugisani Muravha. This will be followed by the construction starting mid-2020, to be completed 30 months later. A contractor will be appointed
once the design has been completed. Road users and communities of Bojanala Platinum District Municipality will benefit from the project through improved road safety and contracting opportunities for local SMMEs, said Muravha. Construction labour and subcontractors will be sourced from local and district municipalities. As at the end of June 2018, the roads agency has invested more than R2.8bn on road maintenance, repair and upgrades in the North West from January 2015. This investment is expected to increase to R12.8bn as the 55 projects it has embarked on move closer to completion. Northern Region Manager Progress Hlahla said that SANRAL will continue to deliver good-quality infrastructure to enhance mobility in the region. “We look forward to successfully implementing this project, in line with our Horizon 2030 strategy and our Transformation Policy, which seeks to enhance economic inclusion in the built environment.”
Upgrade of N1 at Winburg to ease congestion
A14km stretch of the N1 from Winburg South to Winburg Station in the Free State has been upgraded – the southbound two-lane carriageway has been rehabilitated and a new northbound two-lane carriageway has been constructed.
Jan-Hendrik Els, the project’s resident engineer, said that while the project was on schedule and had progressed relatively smoothly, there had been some challenges with regard to the acquisition of materials, which were crushed on site. There were also labour issues around hiring from local communities. “These were quickly overcome with the help of project liaison officers and a steering committee, which was set up with SANRAL’s help,” he said.
Dawie Malan, the site agent on the project, said that the expansion of the road was necessary because of high traffic volumes.
Tahleho Jackson Mphosi is an SMME subcontractor who worked on guardrails, V-drains and vegetation control under the main contractor, WBHO. He said: “Working on this project has changed my life. My company now qualifies for CIDB grading 4. I bought two bakkies and I am able to pay my employees decent salaries. To succeed in this job, you need to be dedicated and work hard. I learnt new things every day in road construction.”
