R120 million to resurface a 30km road in South Africa’s biggest province

The South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) has started resurfacing a 30km stretch of the R31 national road between Delportshoop and Barkly West in the Northern Cape.

The project, which is expected to cost close to R120 million, is currently in the mobilisation period, with construction work anticipated to be completed by February 2028.

SANRAL’s Project Manager for the Northern Cape, Elethu Zembe, explained that the project mainly entails periodic road maintenance.

This includes repairing drainage structures and erecting road signs, guardrails, and fencing, repairing rest areas, pretreating potholes, cracks and pavements and resurfacing using a 20mm/7mm double seal, before replacing road markings and studs.

In 2021, the Select Committees on Trade and Industry and Transport, Public Works and Infrastructure highlighted the urgent need to solve the challenges posed by the R31 road.

The committees noted that the deterioration of the route posed a serious risk to the lives of people driving on it and prevented further economic growth in the Northern Cape.

“The state of the road and large potholes is appalling and is an inhibitor to economic growth, which will undermine the drive to reduce unemployment and enhance economic recovery,” said Kenneth Mmoiemang.

He was the Chairperson of the Select Committee on Transport, Public Works and Infrastructure at the time.

SANRAL has also injected more than R1 billion into current road construction projects in the Northern Cape to maintain the 4,472km provincial road network.

This includes almost R224 million to resurface the R27 national road from Brandvlei to Kenhardt and almost R206 million to resurface the N12 national road from Strydenburg to Hopetown.

According to SANRAL’s Provincial Head for the Northern Cape, the roads agency has increased the number of roads transferred to SANRAL from provinces in recent months.

SANRAL has also opened offices in all nine provinces, including the Northern Cape, with its regional offices now located in Kimberley.

SANRAL gets R31 billion to fix roads

During the tabling of the Department of Transport’s R102 billion Budget Vote in May, Transport Minister Barbara Creecy confirmed that SANRAL is expected to receive almost R31 billion this year.

Funding will be used to maintain, rehabilitate, upgrade, and expand the road network, and is aimed at building a transformed, inclusive, and competitive transport system that serves commuters, freight operators and export industries.

“These funds will be used for capital expenditure on the non-toll network, the Gauteng Freeway Improvement project operations, the N2 Wild Coast route for ongoing construction on major bridges, and new road sections on our national highways as well as the development of the Moloto Road corridor,” said the minister.

She added that the planned infrastructure projects are expected to improve road safety, shorten travel distances, and create more than 35,000 job opportunities while supporting over 2,000 small enterprises

“Investment in public infrastructure projects is a significant catalyst for job creation and economic development,” Minister Creecy said.

However, she did warn about ongoing challenges at provincial government levels and in municipalities, noting that funding and in-house technical capacity for road maintenance often remain inadequate.

Provincial governments have transferred 13,000km of provincial roads to SANRAL for management and maintenance since 2013, including just over 1,000km of roads in the Northern Cape alone.

“This is not a sustainable long-term strategy and will ultimately impact SANRAL’s ability to maintain the National Road Network without introducing widespread tolling,” the minister warned.

The government planned to convene a joint sitting with the National Treasury and the Department of Transport through the Minister and MECs (MINMEC) forum to address the issue.

The meeting would explore mechanisms to frontload the Provincial Road Maintenance Grant, enabling provinces to upgrade priority roads sooner, and without waiting for SANRAL intervention.