The South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) is busy with major road improvement activities in several provinces.
National Road R33
SANRAL recently awarded a contract for resurfacing of National Road R33, section 6 from Mkhondo to Amsterdam in Mpumalanga. The tender amount was R91 million and the appointed consultant is Royal Mndawe, with Roadmac Surfacing as the contractor. This project aims to reduce travelling times and ensure a smooth journey with improved skid resistance.
The high-level scope of the project includes site establishment, traffic accommodation, pretreatment of the existing road, edge-break repairs and construction of edge beams. Major work includes base and surface patches, bridge joints repairs, seal construction and painting of new road markings. Other works include clearing and shaping of existing open drains, construction of subsoil drains where required, clearing hydraulic structures and finishing offroad reserves.
SANRAL has also awarded a contract for resurfacing of National Road R33, section 7 from Amsterdam to the N17 Intersection in Mpumalanga. The tender amount was R122 million, and the appointed consultant is SKI Civil and Structural Engineers with Roadmac Surfacing as the contractor. This project aims to reduce travel time, and provide good riding quality and improved skid resistance.
The high-level scope includes site establishment, traffic accommodation, pretreatment of existing road-edge break repairs and construction of edge beams. Major work includes base and surface patches, bridge joints repairs, seal construction and painting of new road markings.
Other work will include clearing and shaping existing open drains, construction of subsoil drains where required, clearing of hydraulic structures and finishing off the road reserve.
A R79 million contract to repair the Merriespruit steel-ribbed culvert on the R33, washed out owing to inclement weather, was awarded to G4 Civils as contractor and LEO Consulting and Superstructures as the consultant.
At the same time as the new Merriespruit Bridge is being built, SANRAL will also replace the rusted steel-ribbed culverts on the adjacent Brakspruit and Barberskuil streams with brand new reinforced concrete bridges.
When the three bridges are complete, the R33 is most likely to be the preferred route between Vaalwater and Lephalale, as it is 25 km shorter than the alternative.
The project’s high-level scope includes establishing a small materials testing laboratory on site, including facilities for the engineer. An operational borrow pit will be established and three single-lane temporary deviations constructed at the site of each new bridge. There will be a manually operated Stop-Go system through the day and traffic light-controlled signals at night.
Additional work involves building road and drainage works, erection of guardrails, road signs and applying road markings and road studs. Work will also be done on protecting the slopes and establishing vegetation, and testing materials.
National Road R37
SANRAL has started improving and widening the existing single carriageway on National Road R37 between Burgersfort and the Modikwa mine turnoff. The contractor is Edwin Construction, and the consultant is Ilifa Africa Engineers. The tender value is about R60 million.
SANRAL has also awarded a contract for resurfacing the National Road R37 from Burgersfort km 0.0 to km 14.0, worth R48 million, to contractor Actophambili Roads with Quantra Consulting.
The existing road will be upgraded, with new intersections provided by building six roundabouts. This project aims to improve the safety of pedestrians, and public transport stops will be built, including bus bays and bus shelters. The scope includes building sidewalks from intersections to bus bays, construction of two new bridges and widening of one other bridge. The final road section will have four lanes, surfaced shoulders and a painted island.
It also includes regravelling shoulders, edge-break repairs, building edge beams at property entrances, intersections and taxi bays, cleaning hydraulic structures and culverts, replacing bridge joints where required, applying temporary and permanent road markings, installing permanent road studs, repairing, renewing, or installing new guardrails and finishing off the road reserve.
The project will improve riding quality and skid resistance, as well as enhancing job creation during construction.
National Route R510
SANRAL has awarded a contract to improve the R510 from Bierspruit to Thabazimbi in Limpopo. The tender amount is R458 million, the consultant is Royal Haskoning and the contractor is Raubex Construction.
This road passes through chrome, iron-ore and platinum mining areas and therefore has high traffic volumes and a high percentage of heavy vehicles. The main benefits of the improvement are safety and shorter travelling times, and increased passing opportunities from adding passing lanes and 3m-wide paved shoulders.
The project will also strengthen the existing pavement by reworking existing layers, improve vertical and horizontal alignments and drainage, upgrade intersections, and lengthen and upgrade existing minor and major structures where there is insufficient capacity.
Materials for base and sub-base construction will be accessed from stockpiles in the surrounding areas, owing to mining activities along the road.
National Road R572 – section 2
SANRAL has awarded contracts for resurfacing of National Road R572 from Monte Christo to Rooigrond and from Rooigrond to Tom Burke, in Limpopo. These contracts are valued at R82 million and R83 million, respectively. The contractor is Roadspan Surfaces and the consultant is Royal Mndawe.
The high-level scope of the project includes the mobilisation period and site establishment, traffic accommodation, pretreatment of existing road-edge break repairs, constructing edge beams, base and surface patches, repairing bridge joints, constructing seals and applying road markings.