Construction World August 2018

PROJECTS & CONTRACTS

N1 upgrade to cut TRAFFIC CONGESTION

ABOVE, FROM LEFT: Bradley Thomas, AfriSam territory sales manager and Eitner Truter, Martin & East contract manager at the N1 road works near Cape Town, as the existing road is milled by Martin & East subsidiary company Zebra Surfacing. The UTFC stones specified for the contract is quarried and crushed at AfriSam's Rheebok Quarry. AfriSam is also providing readymix for a range of concrete applications on the contract. This open graded mix allows water to drain off the road more effectively through the interconnected voids between the stones, says Truter, making for better tyre grip, less water spray and lower road noise. As well as supplying aggregate to Much Asphalt for the road works, AfriSam is also providing Martin & East with readymix for a range of concrete applications.

As Cape Town’s highways strain under ever-increasing traffic volumes, AfriSam is working with Cape contractor Martin & East and asphalt giant Much Asphalt to add an extra driving lane to one of the N1’s busiest sections through Bellville.

T he project, commissioned by the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works in early 2016 and worth R514-million, hopes to make commuting quicker and safer for the 120 000 vehicles that use the route daily. The contract is one of the largest road projects yet undertaken by Martin & East, according to contracts manager Eitner Truter.

For the 8 kilometres from the Plattekloof Interchange to the R300 interchange, the contractor is surfacing the new lanes mainly with an ultra-thin friction course design (UTFC). This is being produced by Much Asphalt at its Contermanskloof Plant using a 9 mm and 13 mm cubical roadstone quarried, crushed and screened at AfriSam’s Rheebok Quarry.

AfriSam is working with Western Cape contractor Martin & East and asphalt giant Much Asphalt to add an extra driving lane to one of the N1’s busiest sections through Bellville.

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CONSTRUCTION WORLD AUGUST 2018