Skip to main content

South Africa's world class tollway development

Part of an extensive motorway network measuring some 185km, the ongoing Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GIFP) is creating a modern, world-class toll route system that provides major impetus to socio-economic growth in South Africa's most populous and commercially active region.
May 8, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Part of an extensive motorway network measuring some 185km, the ongoing Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GIFP) is creating a modern, world-class toll route system that provides major impetus to socio-economic growth in South Africa's most populous and commercially active region.

Being implemented in stages by the 3156 South African National Road Agency (SANRAL), these routes radiate outwards from the country's largest city Johannesburg to Pretoria's industrial and residential centres and to all points of the compass.

Already on major N1 and N3 transportation upgrades within Gauteng, previous congestion has now been replaced by free-flowing traffic that is foremost driven by business priorities that are time dependant. So too are the ensuing construction works.

National Route 12 (N12) is one of SANRAL's strategic priorities and it is here that civil engineering contractor 3038 Raubex Construction is  implementing a ACTFILE LOCATION:

• South Africa
PROJECT:
• National Route 12 (N12)
CONTRACTOR:
• Raubex Construction
EQUIPMENT:
178 Caterpillar RM500 rotary mixer
complete  overhaul on Section 19, an intensive programme running over 30 months.

Three major new interchanges, successive bridge widenings and an east and westbound three-lane highway in either direction will replace the existing N12 dual carriageway system along approximately 10km between the current Tom Jones and Daveyton on- and off-ramps.

The median reserve will be replaced by a central concrete median barrier to make room for the new lanes, which is where the roadworks begin, progressively moving from the inside out to complete the new freeway system.

This is the main access point passing into and out of Gauteng's West Rand region to the agricultural and mining heartland of Mpumalanga province.

Managing high traffic densities together with major road realignments will be just one of a number of challenges that need to be carefully managed. The N12 design calls for an emulsion and cement stabilisation mix for the sub-base layers.

"The N12 contract follows a similar pattern to the SANRAL project we completed in May 2010 for Section 1 of the R21 upgrade, which links OR Tambo International Airport with Pretoria [South Africa's capital]," explains Raubex Construction operations manager, Wouter van der Merwe.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Texas highway project tackles congestion
    May 3, 2012
    A new highway project in Texas will tackle peak congestion A major highway job is underway in Texas at present where contractor Northgate Constructors, a joint venture between Kiewit & Zachary, is working on the huge DFW Connector Project. Northgate is using equipment from Guntert & Zimmerman, an S850, S600, and two TC1500s, on the job.
  • Efficient earthmoving builds new road links
    February 7, 2012
    Efficient earthmoving is allowing productive road construction in the Egyptian desert, Mike Woof reports. Despite ferocious desert temperatures, efficient earthmoving operations will help build new road links in Southern Egypt. Close to the Egyptian city of Assuit, the contractor Orascom is working on three key desert highway projects that will provide vital transport connections for the country's growing economy.
  • World Road Meeting 2017
    April 16, 2018
    The IRF World Road Meeting 2017 was held recently – World Highways’ India correspondent Partha Pratim Basistha reports The 18th World Road Meeting of the International Road Federation took place between 14-17 November 2017 in the North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh at Greater Noida near India’s capital New Delhi. Close to 1500 delegates and visitors across the world - including India - from the road infrastructure fraternity participated at the global event. The Cross Roads meeting, coinciding with an ex
  • Bangladesh moves forward with US$735 million highways programme
    August 5, 2021
    A massive highways development programme is being planned in Bangladesh