Skip to main content

Re-gravelling roads in South Africa

Consultant Mott MacDonald is providing assistance for an important project for the re-gravelling of roads in South Africa’s Western Cape. The firm is helping the Western Cape Government with planning, design and control aspects of the maintenance of gravel roads within the Overberg region, one of four regions in the province. The consultancy is also working with local provincial maintenance teams and supporting the development, improvement and management of materials supply. There are around 10,000km of
August 20, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
Repairing rural roads in South Africa will improve access to the Western Cape
Consultant 2579 Mott MacDonald is providing assistance for an important project for the re-gravelling of roads in South Africa’s Western Cape. The firm is helping the Western Cape Government with planning, design and control aspects of the maintenance of gravel roads within the Overberg region, one of four regions in the province. The consultancy is also working with local provincial maintenance teams and supporting the development, improvement and management of materials supply.

There are about 10,000km of gravel roads within the Western Cape (excluding minor roads), of which approximately 1,300km are located within the Overberg region. These rural roads are susceptible to changes in traffic volumes, material properties, precipitation, temperature and even flooding, which can lead to increased deterioration. Regular maintenance activities include re-gravelling or spot re-gravelling, reworking, hard or regular blading, patching, and pothole and shoulder repairs. Suitable material sources available, such as shale, mudstone, sandstone, limestone, granite or ferricrete, need to be sourced sustainably and where possible aggregate will be obtained locally through borrow pits.

Mott MacDonald has previously supported re-gravelling and maintenance strategies in the Western Cape Province. The consultancy is using this experience to develop strategic planning and optimisation models for the sourcing and use of suitable materials from borrow pits. The condition of gravel roads will undergo detailed visual assessments and combined with annual panel inspections will contribute to an overall view of the management of the road network. 

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Rebuilding a scenic route in South Africa
    April 20, 2018
    Equipment from Wirtgen has played a key role in the rehabilitation of a major route in Cape Town. The scenic Camps Bay Drive provides access to Camps Bay and Hout Bay Based on the project brief and geometric analysis, Camps Bay Drive required widening to cope with high volumes of tourist traffic and MyCiti buses. In order to minimise the impact on traffic, the design brief targeted construction outside the summer peak tourist season and also required investigation into shortened construction periods. The
  • Reclaimer/stabilisers are helping rebuild roads in South Africa
    October 3, 2014
    Contractor Nyoni Projects is taking a new approach to two major road upgrades in the North West Province of South Africa. The company is refining its fleet and processes with the use of two new Caterpillarr RM300 reclaimer/recyclers. By introducing these new machines and the associated working methods, the firm believes it can help meet the country’s growing road repair, reclamation and building needs. The firm has seen an increase in productivity since it started using the machines. Maclaud Nyoni, m
  • Sandvik machine proves crushing success in South Africa
    May 5, 2015
    Crushing equipment from Sandvik is proving productive in a difficult application involving hard volcanic rock in South Africa. The QH331 tracked mobile cone crusher has been supplied by Sandvik Mobile Crushers and Screens distributor, Pilot Crushtec, which recommended the machine for this difficult duty. The machine is working as part of a crushing train producing base material for a road construction project in South Africa’s Eastern Cape. Pilot Crushtec, founded in 1990, is helping a customer invest in th
  • Securing safer transportation infrastructure through non-destructive technology
    June 16, 2014
    Kevin Vine reports on the use of non-destructive testing for structural analysis of bridges Seven years ago, the overpass collapse in Laval, Québec that led to the death of five people brought to light severe issues with the state of the country’s bridges and transportation infrastructure. More recently, a crack in the Champlain Bridge to Montreal that forced over 160,000 commuters to find alternate routes to work reaffirmed a need for greater emphasis on early detection before a crisis occurs.