Transport News
Tinubu pledges to build roads after scrapping Nigerian fuel caps
Nigeria’s new President pledged to invest in infrastructure projects in a bid to placate residents after scrapping expensive fuel subsidies. Gasoline prices almost tripled after President Bola Tinubu removed price caps that cost the government $10-billion last year. Tinubu said his administration will boost spending on roads, education and healthcare to help improve the standard of living in Africa’s most populous nation. He asked Nigerians to “sacrifice a little more for the survival of our country” in a speech to mark Democracy Day in Nigeria on Monday.
R216m Montrose interchange upgrade nears completion
Construction of the soon-to-be completed R216-million Montrose Interchange, on the N4, has already “changed the lives of local small businesses and residents by providing much-needed jobs”, the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) stated in a July 28 press release. Engineering News and Mining Weekly has been told that the Interchange will be completed in August.
South Africa’s transport network holding economic growth back
South Africa’s transportation modalities– all of them– are currently not able to support greater economic development in the nation. So cautioned South African Association of Freight Forwarders CEO Juanita Maree, attending to the forty-fifth Annual SAPICS Conference in Cape Town on Monday. “Supply chain is more about issue resolving” than anything else, she explained in her introductory remarks. It was “not one [transport] method above another modality”. All were equal. However, currently, in South Africa, the roads were excessive used.
South African government’s Vulindlela reforms will not be minor, assures Presidency official
The South African government’s Operation Vulindlela (“opening”) is intended to lead to major reforms to key sectors of the economy, Presidency Project Management Office head Rudi Dicks ensured delegates at the forty-fifth annual SAPICS Conference, in Cape Town, on Monday. “It’s not going to be shallow,” he assured. For Vulindlela, 5 concern locations had actually been determined, he reported. They were energy/electricity, water (especially bulk water), telecom, the nation’s visa system, and port and railway efficiencies.
JRA closes part of road as illegal mining activity causes sinkhole
The Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) has actually closed one lane of Miles Stoker roadway in the Roodepoort instructions owing to a sinkhole, which has developed due to the fact that of unlawful mining activity in the location, including tunnelling beneath the roadway surface. For security factors, the northbound carriageway along Miles Stoker road, between Main Reef road and Roodepoort, has actually been temporarily closed..
Cape Town’s transport budget may see R60m go to waste owing to construction mafia
With just two weeks staying in the current fiscal year, the City of Cape Town (CoCT) alerts that almost R60-million of the Urban Mobility Directorate’s capital spending plan might go unspent owing to the activities of extortionists and the building mafia. CoCT Urban Mobility MMC Rob Quintas says at least seven major tasks have been halted owing to safety issues, varying from the construction of brand-new public transport infrastructure, to road restoration and stormwater maintenance, mostly in the city’s “most susceptible communities”.
Mpumalanga will identify strategic roads to be managed by Sanral
Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga has announced that Mpumalanga has been encouraged to identify strategic roads that could be handed over to and managed by the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral). During her Ministerial oversight visit to Mpumalanga, she highlighted the importance of the continued improvement of municipal and provincial roads to help bolster economic development.
Govt, business partner to resolve South Africa’s logistics crisis Govt, business partner to resolve South Africa’s logistics crisis
Engineering News editor Terence Creamer talks about the National Logistics Crisis Committee and why it was established; the participation of service in the committee; how the committee will approach its work; and how the impact of business will be managed where conflicts of interest may develop.
Transport Minister welcomes PRASA War Room progress; Aarto ruling Minister of Transport Sindisiwe Chikunga outlines the spate of vandalism of trucks and how the department is mitigating this.
The Department of Transport is pleased with the progress the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) is making through a War Room that is suggested to collaborate the recovery effort of numerous corridors and accelerate the infrastructure rollout, enhance security and provide momentum to the modernisation programme. This was noted by Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga on July 20, throughout an update on the department’s first-quarter performance. The update followed a check out by the department to the War Room.
Firm rolls out sustainability project
Second-hand vehicle buying and selling company WeBuyCars has successfully executed various sustainability solutions across its showrooms nationally, including the adoption of light-emitting diode (LED) lighting. The project aims to promote eco-friendly practices and ensure a more sustainable and responsible approach to its business practice.
DTIC aims to improve awareness on AfCFTA through outreach programme
The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) has actually embarked on provincial outreach and awareness workshops in partnership with provincial governments, wherein it hopes to have actually engaged all provinces on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) by the end of July. The DTIC is also establishing an AfCFTA execution strategy, consisting of the establishment of a nationwide application committee and a targeted technique for the carry out of the AfCFTA.
Johannesburg Roads Agency CEO sacked after fake qualification probe
The contract of the CEO of the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA), Tshepo Mahanuke, was ended. On Wednesday, the firm said the board had resolved to dismiss Mahanuke after he failed to produce counter-evidence in response to the claims of fraud.
Structural demolitions pick up pace
Requests for proposals for structural demolition have increased recently, following a backlog in maintenance and repairs of critical infrastructure, owing to the temporary suspension of non-critical works during Covid-19. The proposals form part of remedial works or of larger replacement projects. Many of the projects being awarded currently were originally tendered for in 2018, with works that were deemed necessary then, but are now being escalated to urgent, says demolition contractor Jet Demolition contracts manager Kate Bester.
Ramping up new builds, maintenance
Roads firm the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) will continue to increase roadway construction and maintenance across South Africa. These efforts comprise many tasks consisting of enhancements made to the Huguenot Tunnel located on the N1 in the Western Cape. “We are following [President Cyril Ramaphosa’s] require facilities advancement to drive South Africa’s economic development and recovery. [Transportation Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga] has in current weeks went to a variety of our multibillion-rand tasks, linking the different provinces and ensuring that individuals and items move more efficiently. This is everything about the economy and providing on the need for economic development,” Sanral CEO Reginald Demana says.
Taking oil out of bitumen
Instant Bio-Bitumen, a carbon-negative option to conventional bitumen derived from the refining of petroleum for usage as the binder in asphalt products, is currently being evaluated by asphalt producer AECI Much Asphalt. The testing forms part of the regional asphalt industry’s work towards minimizing its carbon footprint and improving sustainability by using waste products to produce roadway surfaces that last longer.
Extreme weather erodes road networks
Extreme weather associated with climate change has resulted in many roads becoming impassable, sustaining serious damage or being completely destroyed. The South African roads industry has sought to minimise the impact of climate change on our roads through emergency repair initiatives and continuous improvement of asphalt products, explains Society for Asphalt Technology (SAT) VP Joanne Muller.
Only 8% of Joburg’s bridges in good condition
Of the 1 592 bridges in the City of Johannesburg, just 8% are considered to be in great condition, Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Transport Kenny Kunene said. “In truth, some of our engineers do not drive over specific bridges,” he added throughout a media briefing on June 29.
Discovery Pothole Patrol introduces advanced AI to assist in pothole detection
Insurance business Discovery Insure has introduced innovative expert system (AI) abilities to its Pothole Patrol fleet, which will allow it to spot road defects more accurately and effectively. The Pothole Patrol public-private collaboration is a wise mobility initiative aimed at enabling the speedy reporting of pits to impact repair work throughout Johannesburg.
Pylon-spire construction advancing steadily at Msikaba bridge project
The pylon spires of South Africa’s Msikaba Bridge megaproject are soon to tower almost 130 m high at each side of the 197-m-deep Msikaba river gorge. The bridge forms part of the South African National Roads Agency’s N2 Wild Coast project, and is being constructed by the CME joint venture – a partnership between black-owned South African construction companies Concor and Mecsa.
AfriSam participating in Cape Interchange upgrade
Cape specialist Haw & & Inglis Construction has, because July 2021, been carrying out an upgrade of Cape Town’s Refinery interchange, supported by building materials from AfriSam. The project is due for conclusion in early 2024, delivering two new greater and wider bridges over the N7 highway– a new road-over-rail bridge alongside the existing bridge, which is undergoing rehab works, and updated access ramps.