Locals get skills on Ventersburg to Holfontein upgrade
The cold winter weather in the Free State has been causing delays on the construction of a 24-kilometre section of the N1 from Ventersburg to Holfontein.
Hugh Brooks, SANRAL Eastern Region Project Manager, Pavement Design Support, said the cold weather was interfering with the sealing of the road surface with bitumen. Construction work is expected to be completed by November 2019.
The project, expected to cost R750m, involves the upgrade of this section of the N1 from a single carriageway to a dual carriageway and includes the building of five bridge structures, 11 in-situ culverts and a number of precast culverts.
Brooks said it was cheaper to build a new carriageway than to add extra lanes to the existing road.
The project also includes a bridge which serves as an interchange between Holfontein and Ventersburg. Bridge 322 connects two former gravel roads, one travelling east and the other west to Ventersburg. The road was dropped so that the N1 travels under the bridge.
Brooks said 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 dug a quarry to supply stone for the upgrade.
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.
The project employed 15 sub-contractors, of which 10 were local SMMEs. Three of those are women-owned. In total R92m has been invested in and earned by targeted enterprises.
The labour complement of 554 on the project is a mix of experienced staff and 374 local labourers. The locals had to be trained before the project started, which gave them valuable skills that will help them secure jobs in the future.Curbing the scourge of overloaded vehicles
The upgrading of two traffic control centres at Senekal and Kroonstad by SANRAL in partnership with the Free State Department of Police, Roads and Transport will help curb extensive overloading of trucks which has resulted in a marked deterioration of the provincial road network.
Overloading not only causes serious damage but also contributes to the problem of maintaining road safety. Overloaded vehicles become a road hazard, especially because the vehicle’s braking system is put under strain and additional braking distance is required.
The Senekal Traffic Control Centre has been upgraded to a more technologicallyadvanced weighbridge. Illegally loaded vehicles are identified through weigh-inmotion equipment installed on the N5. Vehicles are then diverted to be weighed on static scales at the traffic control centre for mass certification and, in cases of overloading, prosecution.
Damage to roads as a result of overloading leads to higher maintenance and repair costs and shortens the life of a road which in turn places an additional burden on the state as well as lawabiding road users who ultimately must carry the costs of careless and inconsiderate overloading.
The upgrading of the Senekal and Kroonstad Traffic Control Centres is part of SANRAL’s commitment to address the problem of vehicle overloading.
The Kroonstad Traffic Control Centre on the N1 has been upgraded with the installation of state-of-the-art weighing equipment. This facility will provide roadworthy testing of vehicles and prosecution for those that are found to be on the wrong side of the law.
On the N1, which is a strategic route as it carries cargo from the ports in Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and East London to various parts of the country’s inland areas, especially Gauteng, overloading has caused deterioration of the road infrastructure.
Ayandamabhaca Chagwe, SANRAL Eastern Region Project Manager: Design & Construction, said a stern warning is issued to motorists violating the rules of the road.
“The freight industry and motorists generally are warned to keep within the confines of the law or face the music should they be found to be on the wrong side.
“SANRAL is doing its best to provide a safe and well-maintained road network for the country’s socio-economic wellbeing and it is for every road-user to ensure that road assets are kept in good condition.”
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