Section Three - · PDF fileprocess whereby the private sector would provide ... activities with formal and informal trading, ... 496 between Empangeni and Richards Bay including

Section ThreeEngineering Over view

Annual Report 2003 The South African National Roads Agency

Road Network Management

• The N5 between Winburg and Harrismith;

• The N6 between Smithfield and Bloemfontein;

• The N8 between Bloemfontein and Ladybrand;

• The alternative N1 between Bloemfontein and

Kroonstad via Welkom;

• The alternative N4 between Pretoria and

Mpumalanga/Gauteng border;

• The R521 and R523 between Polokwane and

Masekwaspoort via Vivo.

The discussions are expected to culminate in the above

roads being declared National Roads in the earlier part of

the next financial year.

The Agency also contributed towards initiatives led by the

National Department of Transport concerning a national

overloading combating strategy, as well as a road

infrastructure strategic framework. The development of

these strategies progressed well, and although neither was

completed by the end of the current financial year, it is

expected that they will be during the latter half of 2003.

he Agency's contribution towards increasing the Tcountry's global competitiveness is to ensure that the

primary road network functions efficiently, thereby

enabling economic activity, tourism and social

development. To achieve this, the Agency has a

comprehensive road performance management

framework to determine priorities against established

benchmarks.

Over a period of time, the provinces also commenced

discussions with the Agency regarding the incorporation

of select provincial roads as a first step towards creating

an expanded primary road network. The primary network

has strategic economic importance, and its further

development, upkeep and good state of repair is essential

for ensuring that the growth of the economy and social

development of South Africa are supported by efficient

road transport.

The roads incorporated into the National Road Network

for the period under review include:

• The N2 between Grabouw and Swellendam;

• The N2 between Umtata and Umtamvuna;

• The N9 between Willowmore and Middelburg;

• The R61 between Graaff-Reinet and Umtata;

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Non-Toll Roads - Operations Expenditure

Description Number of contracts Length (km) Cost R

Routine Maintenance

Safety Maintenance

Periodic Maintenance

Special Maintenance

Total

25

3

23

10

61

255,294,923

9,859,060

156,142,326

97,297,744

518,594,053

6165.2

491

407.1

148

7211.3

Non-Toll Roads - Capital Expenditure


Rehabilitation

Improvement

New Facilities

Total

27

12

5

44

301,833,621

130,815,157

90,155,162

522,803,940

574.3

114

2

690.3

Note: The Capital Expenditure represents the cash flow for the year under review.

he primary source of funding for the non-toll national Troads in South Africa is the general state budget

through National Treasury. The revenue pool, however, is

hard pressed to meet demands of all other public goods

and services, with the result that the funding made

available for national roads provision has fallen to a level

where it cannot fully finance the maintenance needs of the

existing network, let alone provide for the improvements

required to meet the growing traffic demands imposed on

them.

Maintenance and improvement activities are managed by

the respective regional offices for the portion of the

national road network that falls within those regions.

As more than half of the non-toll road network is older

than its design life, the expenditure on the non-toll road

network for the year under review has been weighted

towards capital expenditure items to restore the

design life.

The non-toll road expenditure is reflected in the tables on

this page.

Non-Toll Roads

Note: The Operations Expenditure represents the cash flow for the year under review.


ince its establishment in 1998, the Agency introduced

three new principles into its toll road business Sportfolio. These include the concessioning of toll roads,

the unsolicited bid procedure and the comprehensive toll

road operations and maintenance (CTROM) contract

mechanism. The Agency increased its toll road network by

1175 kilometers during this period. (The latter includes

both Agency operated toll roads and concessioned toll

roads.)

Agency Toll Roads - CTROM

The CTROM operations are firmly established and many of

the teething problems have been resolved. After

approximately 15 months, the plaza and routine road

maintenance operations are running well on all of the

contracts.

Major construction activities on the following Agency

operated toll roads were in various stages of development

in this review period, with the scheduled opening of the

various plazas serving these toll roads anticipated during

this period and in the next financial year. These include:

• The N1 Vaal Toll Road Extension between

Toll Roads

Bloemfontein and Kroonstad (228km), to be tolled at

the Verkeerdevlei Toll Plaza;

• N1 Great North Toll Road Extension between

Pietersburg and Musina (210km) tolled at the

Capricorn and Baobab Toll Plazas; and

• The N4 Magalies Toll Road Extension (60km) between

Pretoria and Witbank, to be tolled at Cullinan.

The planned toll road extension programme includes both

private concession projects as well as Agency toll road

projects. The private concessions form part of the

unsolicited bids covered further in this report, whereas the

planned Agency toll road projects include the following:

New Toll Roads

• N2 Tsitsikamma Toll Road and its Extension (54km);

• N3 Durban - Pietermaritzbug Toll Road and its

Extension (86km) (Durban to Cedara);

• N17 East Toll Road (160km) (Springs to Ermelo);

• N4 East to Gauteng/Mpumalanga Border (71km);

• N11 Ladysmith to Ermelo (255km); and

• N12 Gillooly's to Witbank (27km).

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Toll Roads - Operations Expenditure


Routine Maintenance

Periodic Maintenance

Toll Operations

Total

1

11

17

29

1,394,149

67,148,998

254,376,813

322,919,960

15

250.1

1139

1404.1

Toll Roads - Capital Expenditure


Rehabilitation

Improvement

New Facilities

Total

2

12

7

21

35,085,075

149,902,959

23,340,850

208,328,884

55

278

93

426

Note: The Capital Expenditure represents the cash flow for the year under review.

Expenditure

Expenditure on Agency Toll roads for the year under review

is summarised in the tables on this page.

Concessioned Roads

• The N3 Toll Road

The 2nd of November 2002 signified the first major

milestone in respect of this 30 year concession contract.

It was the expiry of the three year initial construction

period, a critical date since it was the due date by

which all the identified new works and major

rehabilitations on the 415 km section of the N3 between

Cedara (near Pietermaritzburg) and Heidelberg (near

Johannesburg) had to be finalised. By this date, some

small sections were not complete, but a 3 month

extension was granted and all work was completed by

the end of January 2003.

Accumulative expenditure under the initial construction

period is as follows:

• Initial construction works R571.3 million

• Routine maintenance R 3.5 million

Toll Roads... continued

Note: The Operations Expenditure represents the cash flow for the year under review.

Annual Report 2003 Annual Report 2003 The South African National Roads Agency

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process whereby the private sector would provide

related infrastructure on a commercially sustainable

basis in order to harmonise the border post processing

activities with formal and informal trading, and taxi

transport in and around the border post. These

initiatives promise to greatly improve the flow of traffic

and pedestrians through the Lebombo Border Post, so

as to further enhance cross-border trade and economic

development.

With the large reduction in activity after initial

construction, Trans African Concessions nevertheless

succeeded in maintaining a previously disadvantaged

individual (PDI) employment of 146 people to the value

of R13 million during the review period. SMME

utilisation on maintenance activities during this period

amounted to R17, 6 million.

• The N4 Platinum Highway Development

For the period under review, this route was under

construction and formed the last section of the Coast-

to-Coast Spatial Development Initiative (SDI). The

project is ahead of schedule. Approximately 50% of the

project is open to traffic.

Toll R

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The next 27 years of the concession contract will entail

continuous routine maintenance and upgrade, repair

and rehabilitation of the route, as and when required by

traffic growth and pavement deterioration. During this

time a further R2.0 billion is expected to be spent on

these activities, including the construction of a 100 km

section through De Beer's Pass between Keeversfontein

and Warden.

• The N4 Maputo Development Corridor

The Maputo Development Corridor Toll Road, the first

toll road concession in South Africa signed in May

1997, is now well into its post-construction

operational phase.

Plaza operations are running smoothly at all five plazas

along the route, and all have experienced reasonable

traffic growth during the period under review.

As part of its new mandate to upgrade, rehabilitate and

maintain roads within South African border post areas,

the Agency, in co-operation with relevant authorities, is

planning the improvement of the road infrastructure of

the Lebombo Border Post. The Agency also facilitated a

The total value of completed construction work at the

end of March 2003 was R1,25 billion. Two-thirds of the

mainline toll plazas have been opened. The opening of

the toll plazas in and around Pretoria ran smoothly after

the initial teething problems. The implementation of

the electronic toll collection system (E-Tag) was indeed a

steep learning curve for all. The Concessionaire is

exceeding the Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) and

training targets that were set for the project.

Unsolicited Proposals: Future Concession Roads

The development of the unsolicited proposals, as listed

hereunder, has progressed significantly in the current

financial year. The two-stage approach adopted for the

development of these schemes proved effective in that the

technical, financial and environmental feasibility of the

schemes could be fully assessed, before embarking on the

extensive process of procuring tender documentation and

the necessary legislative procedures.

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The South African National Roads Agency

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following the existing N2 alignment with the

construction of a new Knysna Ring Road.

The first phase of scheme development highlighted a

number of environmental and technical issues which

questioned the viability of the scheme. These issues,

revolving around the final future alignment of the N2

through the Garden Route, could not be resolved and

it was agreed with the scheme developer to shelve

the project until such time as these issues were

addressed by the local and provincial planning

initiatives. This once again shows the prudent

approach adopted in the policy on unsolicited bids.

• The N1-N2 Winelands Toll Highway

The project provides for the extension of the existing

N1 Huguenot Toll Road westwards up to the N21

(R300) and eastwards up to the Hex River Valley, as

well as the creation of a new toll road on the N2

between the N21 (R300) and Botrivier. The latter

entails the construction of the Helderberg Ring Road

which aims to relieve the considerable traffic

congestion on the existing N2.

The status, including brief details of the six projects, is

given below:

• The John Ross Toll Highway

The proposed upgrading and widening of Main Road

496 between Empangeni and Richards Bay including

the construction of a toll plaza.

The John Ross Toll Road is one of five unsolicited bids

received by the Agency. It is also the first unsolicited

bid to go out to tender. Tenders were received and

evaluated during the period under review.

A preferred bidder, the Uthungulu Toll Consortium,

was announced early in 2003. Negotiations are

underway to conclude a concession agreement and it

is anticipated that the financial aspects will be

concluded in the ensuing period.

• The N2 Garden Route proposal

A proposed toll road for the N2 between George and

Port Elizabeth, some 300 km in length, essentially

The final phase of scheme development has been

completed. The Environmental Impact Report (EIR)

was submitted to the Department of Environmental

Affairs and Tourism at the end of 2002. A ROD

is awaited.

• The N2 Wild Coast Toll Highway

A proposed new toll road between East London and

Durban following the existing N2 between East

London and Umtata, the existing R61 between

Umtata and Ndwalane near Port St Johns, new green

fields construction between Ndwalane and Port

Edward, and the existing R61 and N2 between Port

Edward and Durban.

The new toll road is some 550 km in length,

approximately 90 km shorter than the existing N2

between East London and Durban. In the year under

review, a considerable number of studies relating to

the EIA requirements including a comprehensive

public participation process were completed. These

culminated in the EIR being submitted to the

Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism in

February 2003. The ROD is awaited. Further

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• The Johannesburg-Pretoria-East Rand

Toll Road Network

The scheme, a joint development between the Agency

and Gautrans, proposes to address the congestion

problems on the existing network through capacity

improvements on the N1 Western Ring Road of

Johannesburg and N1 Ben Schoeman between

Johannesburg and Pretoria.

This scheme includes a new (for South Africa) toll

road concept – the toll expressway - for the existing

N1 and the R21 between Pretoria and Johannesburg

International Airport, as well as phased

implementation of new toll roads such as the PWV 9,

the PWV 5, the PWV 13 and the PWV 14. Some

170 km of existing freeway and 140 km of new toll

road form part of the proposal.

investigations regarding the geology will continue

into the ensuing period.

• The R300 Cape Town Ring Road

A proposed tolled ring road for Cape Town linking

Blaauwbergstrand and Melkbosstrand on the West

Coast with Westlake and Muizenberg on False Bay.

The scheme consists of 61 km of new highway

construction; 31 km between Brackenfell and

Blaauwbergstrand, 18 km between Vanguard Drive

and Westlake and 12 km between Vanguard Drive

and Prince George Drive (M5), thus linking all the

major radiating arterials of Cape Town. It also

includes the 18 km existing sections of the N21

and R300.

A number of factors such as policy issues,

alignments of the various greenfields sections and

land acquisition and jurisdiction are currently

being considered. It is nevertheless anticipated that

the final phase of development could be completed

by the end of 2003 with the EIA Report being

submitted shortly thereafter.

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Annual Report 2003

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compared to 3 years ago when the maintenance was

actually required.

Maintenance Delayed 5 Years: If the maintenance is

not performed when required based on technical

assessments, and the road is allowed to deteriorate for

a further 5 years, the levels of distress will severely affect

the road user. The typical cost of maintenance at this

stage is now R 1,8 million/per km (2000 Rand) for the

same road. In other words, to repair this road will now

be 18 times more expensive compared to 5 years ago

when the maintenance was actually required.

To ensure that the primary road network functions

efficiently, the Agency's road network management

philosophy has been: firstly to allocate its available

funding resources to ideal maintenance actions (i.e.

reseals and overlays), and thereafter to more extensive

maintenance actions (i.e. rehabilitation); and then finally

to new construction.

Road Pavement Condition Monitoring

Project selection within The South African National Roads

Agency occurs through the Pavement Management

Road

Main

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oad performance depends on what, when, and how Rmaintenance is performed. Roads deteriorate over

time due primarily to traffic and environmental influences

(i.e. weather, ultraviolet radiation, overloading etc.). For

these reasons roads have to be maintained throughout

their design life to ensure that they deliver the

performance envisaged. The timing of this maintenance is

crucial, and if not optimally performed the consequences

can be disastrous as illustrated below:

Ideal Maintenance: If maintenance is performed as

and when required based on technical assessments of

the road, the typical cost of maintenance at this stage is

R0,1 million per km (2000 Rand). At this stage there will

be no visible signs of distress on the road for the

road user.

Maintenance Delayed 3 Years: If the maintenance is

not performed when required based on technical

assessments, and the road is allowed to deteriorate for a

further 3 years, visible signs of distress might become

apparent to the road user. The typical cost of

maintenance at this stage is now R 0, 6 million/per km

(2000 Rand) for the same road. In other words, to

repair this road will now be 6 times more expensive

Road Maintenance


process regarding the protection of assets and

maintenance.

The pavement condition measure trends show an excellent

outcome and are well within the target measures. In the

year under review, 2070 km of roads, previously under

provincial government control, were incorporated into the

System (PMS), which identifies the optimum strategies for

providing and maintaining national roads at an adequate

level of service for the available funding.

The detailed road data is obtained through road condition

surveys, performed by automated mobile data acquisition

vehicles equipped with advanced laser, video and

computer based technologies capable of collecting road

condition data at highway speeds. The data collected

during these surveys are used to:

• quantify the current condition of the national road

network;

• quantify the historic performance of the national road

network by comparing current results with results

from previous years;

• predict the expected future condition of the national

road network over a time period of 20 years; and

• evaluate the costs and benefits of various

repair/maintenance strategies by evaluating how each

strategy would affect the predicted future road

condition over the 20 year analysis period.

Consequently, the information obtained from road

condition surveys is critical to the management decision

national road network. As can be expected, this will

influence the outcomes.

Outcomes

The following outcomes were achieved for the year under

review and for the previous year's performances:

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Road Maintenance... continued

Note: Roughness refers to the longitudinal road surface undulations affecting the wear and operating costs of vehicles, road safety, and the impact of the vehicle on the road through excitation of vehicle mass.

The Smooth Travel Exposure (STE) measurements show a

lower performance than the previous year. This is a

reflection of the fact that the roughness conditions of the

newly incorporated roads were worse than that of the

existing road network. It also suggests that the current

level of expenditure on pavement smoothing will have to

be increased to sustain the expanded national road

network at this level in future.

Description Unit2001/2002

Actual

Percentage of travel

undertaken each year on

national roads with

1roughness less than

4,2 IRI (m/km)

% 99

2002/2003Target

2002/2003Actual

95 97


The Low Rut Exposure (LRE) measurements show an

improved performance over the previous year. This is a

reflection of the Agency's focus on this critical safety aspect

of network operation, as well as an indication that rutting

did not pose much of a problem on the newly

incorporated roads.

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Actual



national roads with rut

1depth less than 20 mm

% 97

2002/2003Target

2002/2003Actual

95 99

Note: Rut depth refers to surface depressions that can hold water and cause a vehicle to aquaplane.


Actual



national roads with

1macro-texture higher

than 0.4 mm

% 92

2002/2003Target

2002/2003Actual

95 98

Note: Macro-texture refers to visual coarseness of the road surface that affects surface friction at high speeds (>60 km/h) for wet conditions.

The High Texture Exposure (HTE) measurements show a

similar performance to that of the previous year. This is

once again a reflection of the Agency's focus on this critical

safety aspect of network operation, as well as an indication

that macro-texture did not pose much of a problem on the

newly incorporated roads.


Bridge Condition Monitoring

The Bridge Condition Exposure (BCE) measurement shows

a sharp decline in performance when compared to the

previous year. This decline is the result of refinements

made to the mathematical model used in quantifying the

Overall Condition Index. These changes were required for

the measurement to be representative of the actual

condition of the bridges. In future the condition of the

bridges will be measured against the target in accordance

with the revised formula. Once current bridge

rehabilitation projects are completed, an improvement in

the actual BCE measurement is expected.

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Note: OCI is a weighted defects index that gives an overall indication of the need for maintenance to a bridge.


Actual

Percentage of travel over

or under bridges on

national roads with

Overall Condition Index

(OCI) higher than 80

% 92

2002/2003Target

2002/2003Actual

90 78

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Safety Management

Annual Report 2003

he Agency, in support of the Road Safety campaign, Thas implemented a number of projects in order to

make the national roads safer for all users. These include

pedestrian bridges and control barriers, intersection

lighting, education programmes and access management.

To this effect, street lighting was installed at three

intersections on the N1 National Road through Worcester.

On the N2 National Road between Harkerville and

Soutrivier, a proliferation of accesses proved to be

potentially hazardous for road users. An access

management investigation was conducted which resulted

in the design of several improvements, due to be

implemented shortly.

Other safety related projects included two footbridges and

a bridge widening project to accommodate sidewalks. In

addition, various sidewalks and traffic calming measures

were established around schools.

Incident Management

Incident Management Systems were implemented by the

Agency to co-ordinate the efforts and resources of the

various Emergency Services on its roads. These systems

relate to road accidents, as well as incidents which may

prove to be hazardous to road users. Specific procedures

and protocols were established to ensure that incidents

are responded to in an efficient and appropriate manner

by the various resources.

During the year under review the Agency continued to

maintain the existing Incident Management Systems and

embarked on the introduction of these on other provincial

and metro highways and freeways in Gauteng.

SOS Emergency Call System

SOS phones are located on toll roads, as well as along

select high volume roads to provide road users with an

emergency call facility.

Vehicle Patrol Service

The route vehicle patrol services cover all the Agency and

concession toll roads at set intervals per day. On other

roads, these vehicles traverse the routes on an ongoing

basis. This is an added value service to our road users. The

crews of the patrol vehicles are trained to assist stranded


motorists and to assist at crash scenes, whilst they also

monitor road conditions and clear away hazardous objects

on the road surface.

Overload control

The ability of a road to withstand traffic loading depends

on a number of factors. These factors include the strength

and durability designed into the road prior to its

construction, the quality of the road construction, the

volume and mass of the wheel loads that pass over the

road during its life, and the history of maintenance and

repairs carried out to preserve its longevity and capability

to continue withstanding the effects of traffic loading.

After a road has been built and opened to traffic, a roads

authority can only exercise good management of that road

in two ways: by ensuring that good and timely

maintenance is exercised and by ensuring that the road is

not abused. It is on the latter that this section focuses.

Road abuse occurs overwhelmingly in the form of

overloaded heavy vehicles, which consume the carrying

capacity of road pavements at an accelerated rate and

cause earlier deterioration. Roads authorities cannot keep

up with the additional maintenance needs, which results

in acceleration of the downward spiral of the condition of

the road. If the road surface cracks under these stresses,

rain water penetrates the founding layers and the road,

which is softened to the point of being unable to

withstand further loading, then becomes plastic and

deforms with startling speed.

Modern tyre technology has compounded these problems,

as tyres now run at higher pressures and concentrate the

forces exerted on the road surface.

The South African National Roads Agency studied the

relationships between and responsibilities of the law

enforcement agencies, the roads authorities and the

trucking industry, in an effort to understand the dynamics

which have led to the phenomenon of overloading

lawlessness, and the failure of the various law

enforcement and roads authorities to align their

competencies to adequately manage road conditions. The

links needed to be established between the parties to

address accelerated road deterioration and lawlessness

were identified, and steps have been taken which include

overcoming the following:

• the need for new overloading control infrastructure,

Annual Report 2003

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and repairing and maintaining existing infrastructure;

• the lack of funds to provide law enforcement

personnel, equipment and modern

management tools;

• the lack of co-operation between various areas of

jurisdiction;

• the need for co-ordinated management effort and

common acceptance of responsibility;

• the lack of proper facilities for the law enforcement

agencies to ensure that road condition is preserved

through focusing on overloading control;

• the problems of ineffective prosecutions; and

• the lack of a common strategy.

The approach adopted by the Agency has been to bring

together the expertise and competencies of the traffic

authorities, ourselves and the concessionaires as road

owners, and the private sector as service providers. This

was done in order to:

• involve our provincial colleagues in roads and traffic

law enforcement so as to obtain law enforcement

personnel, and in the case of Mpumalanga, also land

for new facilities and the use of provincially owned

existing facilities. In the case of the Maputo

Safety Management... continued


Annual Report 2003

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Development Corridor, the Mozambican Traffic Police

and Roads Agency were also involved;

• accept financial and management responsibility for

procuring suitable infrastructure;

• negotiate contracts with the Traffic Law Enforcement

Agencies which will enable them to provide a certain

level of service over and above their normal services,

and be compensated for the 'additional service';

• place responsibility and management where it can be

dealt with best, namely with the private sector, or

concessionaires, who have a direct interest in the

success of containing overloading;

• utilise the efficiencies of the private sector, who have

been contracted to maintain, repair and ensure the

permanent functionality of all facilities; and

• contribute towards the National Department of

Transport's initiative to revise the South African

strategy on overload control, and play a role in

encouraging the trucking industry and other

government agencies to take part in initiatives

involving new methods of regulation, compliance,

and management.

On the two schemes already implemented, the models

adopted are highlighted in the table.

Safety Man

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Safety Management... continued

N4 N3

• 4 new traffic control

centres (TCC),

• upgrade of 1 existing TCC,

• 11 new lay-by type weighbridges.

Facilities 1 new TCC, 4 existing

weighbridges.

Mpumalanga:

SANRAL pays for all overtime costs,

and once-off costs for vehicles and

equipment.

KwaZulu-Natal:

SANRAL pays all their operational costs.

Gauteng:

Services provided as part of agreement

that SANRAL incurs the capital and

other miscellaneous expenditure.

Trans African Concessions (TRAC),

appointed by SANRAL.

N3 Toll Concessions, appointed

by SANRAL.

Traffic Policing

Overall Management

Operations

System Maintenance

Facility Maintenance

Undertaken by TRAC. Operator appointed by N3TC.

TRAC contracted in services. Maintenance by KwaZulu-Natal,

and by service providing contractor

in Gauteng.

System maintenance provided by

service providing contractor. TRAC

supervises contract.

System maintenance provided by

service providing contractor.

Managed by consultant appointed by

SANRAL, reporting to N3TC.


conserves and protects the environment.

It is acknowledged that any development will have both

a positive and negative impact on the environment.

The construction of a road will, for instance, impact on

the biophysical and the social environment. The EIA

Processes that were undertaken by the Agency on various

projects investigated and assessed these impacts. The

impacts are usually the result of project actions, while the

severity and significance of these are predominately

determined by the final alignment, design, construction

activities and the mitigation measures taken to minimise

such impacts.

Declared Alien Plant Removal Programmes

In accordance with its biodiversity policy, the Agency has

continued its alien weed control programmes throughout

the regions within the routine road maintenance contracts.

Great success has been achieved in the control of the most

invasive alien vegetation along our routes in most areas.

The most active alien vegetation control may be seen along

the routes in KwaZulu-Natal, where the growth rate, due

to an ideal climate is high. This control is exercised in order

ince its inception, the Agency has affirmed its

commitment to effective environmental management Sof the road infrastructure. Particular emphasis has been

placed on developing, implementing and monitoring

systems through the Environmental Impact Assessment

(EIA) Processes.

Environmental management at the Agency is a deliberate,

multi-disciplinary process, which requires careful

preparation and planning. Information on natural and

human activities, processes and systems are gathered by

means of EIA Processes including extensive Public

Participation Processes, and plans and procedures decided

upon. The essence of any EIA Process is aimed at ensuring

informed decision-making and environmental

accountability, as well as ensuring environmentally sound

and sustainable development. The results add

environmental perspectives to existing planning processes.

The manner in which products and processes could

possibly impact on the environment is carefully scrutinised.

Controlling this requires a documented Environmental

Management System (EMS) currently in the process of

being implemented at the Agency, to ensure that every

project is conducted in such a manner that it ultimately

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to protect the natural plant and animal species found

within the road reserves, thus contributing towards the

protection of our natural heritage for future generations.

Further to these controls within the routine road

maintenance contracts, measures have been taken to

control alien vegetation beyond the road reserve

boundaries. This was done in an attempt to stem the flow

of seed from adjacent properties to the road reserve, thus

slowing down the germination of new growth within the

road reserve.

The Agency has trained new ABE sub-contractors and local

labour to identify and control alien vegetation. On

completion of the programme, these sub-contractors are

now able to continue their business unaided.

The Agency has progressively managed to move a step

closer to its ideal of a road reserve free of exotic plant

species in favour of the protection and promotion of

indigenous species. Successes in this area have been

exceptional in the year under review.

Environmental Impact Assessment Processes

Unsolicited Proposals

• N1/ N2 Winelands Toll Road

A number of specialist studies commenced in June

2002 and the Public Participation Process continued.

The scope of each specialist study is largely

determined by issues and concerns raised during the

Scoping Study. The following specialist studies were

undertaken: air pollution, archaeology, freshwater

ecology, social impact, groundwater noise, planning,

terrestrial fauna, vegetation, visual impact and traffic.

An advertisement announcing the commencement of

the Impact Assessment Phase of the EIA and the

availability of a Background Information Document

was placed in a number of local and regional

newspapers. At the same time, a press release was

issued to local and regional radio stations.

The Background Information Document providing

information on the project with maps showing the

extent of the proposed project, the proposed process

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details of the Public Open Days was also issued to

local and regional radio stations.

A series of Public Open Days were held throughout

the study area to provide the public with an

opportunity to view the results of the specialist

studies and the Draft Environmental Impact Report

and to communicate their concerns to the various

specialists regarding their studies.

The final EIA was submitted to the environmental

authorities in December 2002 for consideration and

issuing of the ROD.

In addition to the environmental study, a Socio-

economic Impact Assessment was conducted by

specialists from the University of Cape Town to

address the concerns of the affected general public in

respect of tolling, the positioning of toll plazas and

the benefits of the project.

The study addressed, inter alia, the overall

macroeconomic impact of developing the project as a

toll road and demonstrated the benefits that will

accrue through the "user pay" principle.

for the Impact Assessment Phase of the EIA, and

further steps in terms of the Public Participation

Process was distributed to interested and affected

parties.

The Public Participation Processes included

presentations to sub-councils of the City of Cape

Town, the Boland District Municipality, the local

municipalities, N2/T2 Crisis Committee and

Helderzicht/Paardevlei community to explain the

assessment of the alternative alignments through the

area under its jurisdiction. A number of Focus Group

Meetings were also arranged.

A further presentation on the Draft Environmental

Impact Report was given to the Executive Committee

of the Khayelitsha Development Forum at their

request.

Copies of the executive summary on the Draft

Environmental Impact Report were distributed to

interested and affected parties on the project

database. A press release on the availability of the

Draft Environmental Impact Report and Proposed

N1/N2 Winelands Toll Highway Project providing

• R300 Cape Town Ring Road

The Impact Assessment Phase for the R300 Cape

Town Ring Road Project included an overall

assessment of the proposed route. In undertaking the

EIA, a number of specialist studies were

commissioned in order to comprehensively assess the

significance of potential positive and negative

environmental impacts (both biophysical and social)

associated with the project, and to propose

appropriate mitigation measures, where required.

These studies covered the following topics: noise,

social, planning, tourism, pedestrian routes, visual

impact, archaeology and heritage, avifauna,

herpetology, entomology, mammals, botany,

groundwater and aquatic ecosystems.

The Socio-economic Study investigated the impact of

the proposed road on the national, regional and local

economies, and on those parties affected by the

proposed project.

Numerous Focus Group Meetings were hosted and a

number of Open Houses took place in September 2002.

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avifauna, agricultural potential, archaeological impact,

social impact, tourism impact, air quality, noise

impact and visual impact.

In addition to aforementioned specialist studies, a

Socio-economic Assessment was undertaken for the

project, which investigated the impact of the

proposed road on the national, regional and local

economies of those affected by the proposed project.

The final EIA Report was submitted to the relevant

environmental authorities for consideration and

issuing of a ROD in February 2003.

Overview of the Public Participation Process

Three primary mechanisms were identified to implement

the Public Participation Process for the EIA Phase to date.

These were:

• Focus Group Meetings

Numerous Focus Group Meetings were held with key

stakeholders, including specifically identified

organisations, local authorities and provincial

In addition, there has been an ongoing process of

providing feedback to queries from interested and

affected parties.

• N2 Wild Coast Project

The Impact Assessment Phase of the project

commenced with the acceptance of the

Environmental Scoping Report by the Department of

Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) in May

2002. In terms of this acceptance, an EIA was

undertaken for the proposed N2 Wild Coast Toll Road

Project.

This phase included an overall assessment of the

proposed route (i.e. the existing road sections and the

identified new development corridor), the generation

of sensitivity maps for biophysical and social issues, as

well as a more specific assessment of a proposed

alignment within the identified corridor for the new

development section.

The specialist studies, which were conducted as part

of the EIA, included the assessment of the following:

flora, aquatic ecosystems, terrestrial fauna and

departments. In addition, a number of informal

interactions and consultations were held with

individuals, businesses, institutions and organisations

which could potentially be affected by the project.

• Interest Group Meetings

These were convened for those interested and

affected parties with specific areas of interest. Various

organisations and/or individuals with similar interests

from a particular sector were invited to attend the

meetings of Interest Groups, established to allow

engagement with specialist consultants on a regular

basis.

• Public Meetings

A number of Public Meetings were held during the

EIA Phase within the new development section of the

proposed route.

Social Issues Trail

Issues and concerns raised during the Public

Participation Process were compiled into an Issues

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Scoping Report by the National Department of

Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) in

May 2002. During the Impact Assessment Phase of

the EIA, four specialist studies were conducted,

namely a geohydrological survey; a soils, land use and

land capability assessment; a biophysical survey and a

noise impact assessment. The final EIA Report was

submitted to the DEAT in December 2002 for a ROD.

An Environmental Management Plan (EMP) was also

produced and addresses the management of

environmental impacts during the construction of the

N17 Toll Road.

Public Participation Process

During October 2002, a Background Information

Document was distributed to a number of

stakeholders to avail opportunity for comment and

solicit their views.

The Public Participation Office assisted stakeholders in

understanding their environmental rights, the

legislation underpinning environmental management,

and the complexities involved in linear developments.

A number of briefing sessions were held for small

Trail. This was incorporated as the core of the Social

Impact Assessment (SIA) within the EIA Report,

which was made available for public review from

October 2002.

During this review period, a number of Public

Feedback Meetings were held with the interested and

affected parties registered on the project database.

Other Projects

• National Road 17 Springs to Ermelo

The Agency commenced the EIA for the rehabilitation

and upgrading of the N17 Toll Road from Springs to

Ermelo and proposed construction of new sections

between Leandra and Leven Station, at Trichardt and

Bethal as required in terms of the Environment

Conservation Act, 1989 (Act No. 73 of 1989), to

assess the environmental consequences of the

proposed project.

Environmental Impact Assessment Phase

This phase commenced with the approval of the

groups of directly affected landowners and

stakeholders representing different sectors of society

in the language of their choice at the start of the

process.

• National Road 4

(Pretoria to Mpumalanga Border)

The Agency commenced with environmental studies,

including a Public Participation Process investigating

the proposed establishment of toll plazas on this

70 km section of road between Pretoria and Witbank.

Environmental Impact Assessment Phase

The scoping phase commenced with the acceptance

of the Plan of Study for Scoping by the DEAT. The

goal of the Environmental Scoping Study was to

identify and assess the potential environmental

impacts (both biophysical and social) associated with

the establishment of toll plazas along this section of

the N4.

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• In accordance with the EIA regulations,

advertisements were placed requesting interested

and affected parties to register their interest in the

project. Thereafter, Public Meetings were held at

the Bronkhorstspruit Sports Centre to present the

findings of the Scoping Study and to respond to

any issues/concerns regarding this Report.

The ROD for the project was issued on 26 September 2002

by the DEAT.

Environmental Audits and Achievements

Numerous site audits were carried out by the Independent

Environmental Consultants on N3 and N4 during the

period under review. The focus of these inspections was to

ensure that the projects are compliant with the

requirements of the ROD and EMP. It also ensured that the

final hand-over and approval of environmental permits

proceeded smoothly. No material non-compliances were

recorded.

Public Participation Phase

Interested and affected parties were consulted and

afforded the opportunity to participate. Interested

and affected parties were informed and involved in

the project from the outset in order to promote

participation and transparency.

The following key aspects formed part of the Public

Participation Process:

• A briefing paper was compiled as part of the pre-

feasibility assessment to provide a brief outline of

the proposed project and the suggested

alternatives, as well as to provide preliminary details

regarding the EIA Process and explain how

interested and affected parties can become involved

in the project.

• An Open Day was held in Bronkhorstspruit to

provide information regarding the proposed

project, as well as to obtain feedback on the

proposed toll strategies.

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opportunities to the previously disadvantaged groups in

infrastructure projects. This philosophy is founded in every

project which we undertake - evidenced by tangible results

of the ways in which our projects, large or small, enhance

the provision of basic services, act as catalysts for

development in other growth areas, create employment,

develop SMMEs, alleviate poverty and elevate the status of

women.

Our programme of Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) is

a deliberate, conscious pro-active, ongoing programme.

More importantly, it is not restricted to local companies

only. All our projects, whether put out to local and/or

international competitive bidding have to comply with our

requirements on BEE, SMME and the development of skills.

Procurement of Design Services

Design services are rendered by consulting engineers. The

Agency maintains a database of service providers in the

various fields, the largest of which is that for consulting

engineering services in the road construction industry.

Currently, design projects are awarded as follows:

ne of the Agency's defined core values is that of

excellence in the delivery of service to its customers Oand investors. To meet the needs of our customers, we

employ various service providers from diverse sectors

including civil, electrical, electronic, environmental,

geotechnical, mechanical and systems engineering as well

as financial, legal and marketing companies. Contracting

the services of such providers follows a process of

identification, selection, appointment with continuous

monitoring and appraisal throughout the life of the

appointment.

Targeted Procurement

The Agency's policies on targeted procurement pre-date

the legislative requirements. Being fully aware of historical

drawbacks which hinder participation in our projects, e.g.

lack of capacity, lack of competencies, little familiarity with

tender documents and the completion thereof, and limited

access to resources; the Agency has specifically built into

its tender requirements mechanisms which encourage the

participation and development of ABEs and SMMEs.

The importance that the Agency attaches to the principle

of empowerment goes beyond the provision of monetary

• on an appointment basis, or

• a request for proposals (RFP), or

• by means of a public tender.

Payment for services is effected in accordance with rates

and tariffs agreed between the Agency and the South

African Association of Consulting Engineers (SAACE).

Appointments are made to multiple service providers,

either in joint venture, or singularly, by virtue of its internal

empowerment policies. The joint venture arrangement

provides the opportunity to couple less experienced firms

with more established ones, thereby creating an

environment where development by way of skills transfer

and training can take place.

Procurement of Construction Services

The Agency's Board is the ultimate body, through its

Contracts Committees, that agrees to the awarding of

contracts. The process that enables the Board to make

reasoned and informed decisions is one that sets the

Agency apart from other procurement services.

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Procurement of Services

Integrity of the Tender process

The Agency's tender rules were specifically designed to

ensure that the integrity of the tender process would not

be compromised. All tenderers have to adhere to the

Agency's Code of Conduct, which upholds the values of

integrity and honesty, where breaching the tender process

is severely penalised. Furthermore, the tender rules provide

for tenderers to be disqualified and/or in future, to be

blacklisted for misrepresentation of information and/or

fronting. These rules also provide a penalty clause

according to which failure to reach empowerment goals as

set out in the contract, makes the contractor liable for a

penalty of 50% of the shortfall.

Evaluation criteria

The evaluation weighting criteria and procedures exercised

are published in the tender documents of every project.

The weighting criteria in the case of conventional short-

term contracts such as new works, improvements, and

rehabilitation are as follows:

Price 90% or 95%

Labour enhancement 2% or 1 %

The process starts when an engineering service provider

invites tenders from interested parties. The invitations are

publicly advertised. Compulsory attendance at site

inspection is but one of the many tender rules that

prospective tenderers are required to meet. At tender

closure all tenders are opened in public and prices offered

recorded. Critical amongst the criteria is the tenderer's

commitment to Contract Performance Goals. These goals

are specific to construction in accordance with the

principles of the government's Reconstruction and

Development Programme. They include disclosure of the

value of work intended for construction by ABEs, equity

shareholdings in the tendering company by historically

disadvantaged individuals (HDIs), intended number of

HDIs, including women, in the management staff

complement and value of work earmarked for labour

enhanced construction.

The engineer's adjudication results are contained in a

written report on the evaluation process. Based on this

report, the Agency's project management team conducts

its own analysis of tenders before making a

recommendation to the Board. The process is subject to

audit, and contains checks and balances at several stages.

ABE Utilisation 5% or 2,5%

HDI Equity 1% or 0,5%

HDI Supervisory Staff 2% or 1%

In the case of periodic contracts, e.g. routine road

maintenance contracts, where the main contractor plays a

managing and mentoring role and the bulk of the work is

performed by ABEs and SMMEs, the weighting criteria are

as follows:

Financial Proposal 85%

Mark-up on work by ABEs and SMMEs 5%

Management Proposal 4%

HDI Equity 3%

HDI Supervisory Staff 3%

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Contracts awarded

Contracts awarded during the year under review are

reflected in the table below.

Legislative compliance

The Agency also closely examines the compliance of the

tenderers with the requirements of the Employment Equity

Act and the Skills Development Act, by inspecting the

following:

• financial status;

• affirmative action policies;

• corporate social responsibility investment;

• environmental policy; and

• ability and resources to complete job on time and

within budget to specification.

In addition to legislative requirements, the Agency has

drawn up its own criteria, which it uses in adjudicating

tenders for BEE and social requirements.

Procu

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Procurement of Services... continued

Note: Some of these new contracts will run beyond the financial year under review.

Type of ProjectNo

Non-Tolls New Works

Rehabilitation and Improvement

Periodic & Special Maintenance

Routine Road Maintenance Operations

Routine Road Maintenance Supervision

Projects Awarded

R

Toll New Works

Rehabilitation and Improvement

Periodic & Special Maintenance

CTROM

1

25

8

21

8

5,644

788.598

271,142

397,154

16,955

2

7

1

6

6,504

483,413

51,743

39,807


Documents

Section Three - · PDF fileprocess whereby the private sector would provide ... activities with formal and informal trading, ... 496 between Empangeni and Richards Bay including