WHO IS SANRAL AND HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN AROUND?
The South African National Roads Agency SOC Ltd (SANRAL) was established in April 1998 by an Act of Parliament as an independent statutory company, with the Minister of Transport as the sole shareholder. This year, the roads agency celebrates its 20th anniversary and remains committed to its mandate to finance, improve, manage and maintain South Africa’s expanding national road network of 22 197km.
WHY ARE TOLLS STILL BEING LEVIED, ESPECIALLY AT OLD TUNNELS LIKE THE HUGUENOT TUNNEL?
A declared toll road will never require any funds from the fiscus to maintain it to safety standards. Tunnel maintenance is extremely expensive and the road needs to be kept in good condition at all times. All roads deteriorate over time, due to traffic, weather and heavy-vehicle overloading, among other things. The upkeep of tunnel roads is certainly not a onceoff occurrence; it is continuous. And this doesn’t just apply to the road itself, but also to the edges, road markings and technology associated with managing the tunnel.
WILL THE HUGUENOT TUNNEL BE CLOSED FOR THE PROPOSED UPGRADES?
Yes, the tunnel will be closed, from approximately May/June 2019. However, the closure period can only be determined once the final design proposal for the South Bore has been completed. SANRAL will consider various innovative measures to reduce the closure period, by introducing more than one work team, night-time work to ensure the tunnel can be operational during day, permitting only light motor vehicles through the tunnel and diverting all heavy vehicles along alternative routes. All relevant details will be communicated to the public well in advance.
HOW DOES SANRAL CONTRIBUTE TO ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY, ESPECIALLY WITH REGARD TO THE WESTERN CAPE’S WATER RESTRICTIONS?
Environmental responsibility is not new to SANRAL. A few years ago, SANRAL’s Western Cape building was awarded the 4 Star Green Star SA rating for ecofriendly office design. The agency is always exploring ways to reduce their carbon footprint, so when severe water restrictions became par for the course, the building was quickly adapted to ensure that the team saved every possible drop.
At our Western Region offices, all the toilets are connected to rainwater tanks. However, with a shortage of rain, the tanks ran dry and were filled with recycled, treated effluent water, which is obtained from a local sewerage plant.
Fresh water supply to hand basins in the bathrooms have largely been shut down and only one basin per bathroom has water connected to it. In the interests of maintaining hygiene, waterless hand sanitiser is used.
Kitchens were fitted with water-saving aerators and water has been reduced to 2 litres per minute, while portable plastic basins are used to harvest the water, which is later used to water the garden.
On the outside, the irrigation system has been linked to the rainwater-harvesting tank system, which is currently filled with the treated effluent.