THE N1 is one of the most important routes in the
country and has to be constantly maintained and
upgraded. SANRAL has invested billions of rands
into several upgrading and routine road maintenance
projects along the highway that runs from Cape Town
– through Bloemfontein, Johannesburg, Pretoria
and Polokwane – to Beit Bridge on SA’s border with
Zimbabwe.
A new carriageway and three new bridge structures
have recently been constructed between Tromsburg
and Fonteintjie with a budget of R487m. A total of
300 local labourers were employed and 28 SMME
companies benefited by R117m. Being situated in
a drought-stricken area, the availability of water for
construction purposes posed a major challenge.
Multiple boreholes had to be dug.
The road between Winburg Interchange and
Winburg Station is being upgraded to a dual
carriageway at an investment of R407m.
Work on this project is due to be completed at the
end of May 2018. It is estimated that R23.5m will be
spent on local labour, of which R11.7m will be spent
on youth and R2m on women. SMMEs are targeted
to benefit by R37.1m.
The road from Ventersburg to Kroonstad, a total
of 43km, is being fully rehabilitated at an estimated
investment of R1.2bn.
The project is divided into two contracts.
Construction from Ventersburg to Holfontein is
valued at R653m and is due for completion in August
2018. The contract for Holfontein to Kroonstad was
awarded at R560m and is scheduled for completion
at the end of June 2018.
Hugh Brooks, SANRAL’s Eastern Region Project
Manager, is overseeing the work from Ventersburg
to Holfontein. He said it was cheaper to build a new
carriageway than to add extra lanes to the existing
road.
Zandile Nene, Project Manager for the section
under construction from Holfontein to Kroonstad,
said the existing carriageway is being upgraded and
rehabilitated to form the northbound carriageway
of the new dual carriageway freeway, and a new
southbound carriageway to the east of the existing
road is being constructed.
A 40km section of the road from Koppies to Vaal
Toll Plaza is also being resurfaced under the periodic
maintenance programme at a cost of R110m.
IN an effort to reduce the cost of materials, decrease
the damage caused to roads by heavy vehicles
hauling construction material and save time, SANRAL
has dug a quarry to supply stone for the upgrading
of the N1 between Winburg and Kroonstad. The
quarry at Ventersburg has been supplying crushed
aggregate to roadwork contractors.
Zandile Nene, Project Manager at SANRAL Eastern
Region, said the establishment of the quarry was
necessary, as the upgrading of the N1 generated
the largest crushing contract of its kind on any road
project.
Supplying crushed aggregate from the SANRAL
quarry as opposed to sourcing it from commercial
sources has amounted to a saving of approximately
R125m during the upgrading of the N1.
“The quarry eliminated the need for heavy trucks
carrying stone to travel over long distances to construction sites. Thus, damage to the roads has
also been minimised,” he said. “Locating a quarry
near the construction site resulted in considerable
savings of time and money.”
The quarry contract, worth R163.5m, was awarded
to Triamic Plant. This entailed the production and
delivery of approximately 1.36 million
tons of a range of crushed aggregate.
The contract also provided
crushed aggregate for
concrete and subsoil drains, as well as rock for gabion installations.
The quarry contract helped empower the
local community through the employment and
development of local labour, mainly women and
youth, and by providing industry-specific and
business training to local and small businesses in
Ventersburg.
Where possible, several black womanowned
companies and emerging enterprises
were appointed as subcontractors and
service providers.
Nene said: “The site will be fully
rehabilitated in strict accordance with the
approved Environmental Management Plan
upon completion of crushing activities, and
with limited to no visibility from the N1. Various
local species of trees will also be planted to
promote full rehabilitation of the quarry.”
