Company Announcement - Murray & Roberts Infrastructure has been awarded a 22 month contract by Trans African Concessions for upgrade work on the strategically vital N4 toll road connecting South Africa with Mozambique. The N4 toll road stretches for 570 km from the Solomon Mahlangu off ramp near Pretoria to the Port of Maputo in Mozambique and includes six toll plazas. The contract handover date was at the beginning of September 2014 with completion anticipated for July 2016.
The scope of work for Murray & Roberts Infrastructure focuses on the section of the N4 near Middelburg, just east of the Rockdale interchange, and ending just west of the Arnot interchange. It involves increasing the carrying capacity of an 18 km section of the toll road by constructing a new double-lane eastbound carriageway with associated infrastructure such as a bridge overpass at the Klein Olifants River and various other structures, as well as the rehabilitation and reconfiguration of the existing section of the N4 to a new three-lane westbound carriageway.
This section of the N4 is a Build, Operate and Transfer toll road owned together by South Africa and Mozambique, which will both reassume responsibility for the project once TRAC’s 30 year concession expires in 2027. While the economic lifespan of a road is about 20 to 25 years, TRAC’s ongoing maintenance and rehabilitation measures mean that ultimately the toll road will be handed back in an ‘as new’ condition.
“Murray & Roberts Infrastructure will construct a new dual carriageway in an easterly direction. Upon completion of the new eastbound carriageway, the existing westbound carriageway will be converted into a three-lane carriageway,” project manager Derek Brink says. The new carriageway will feature a 40 mm thick asphalt pavement layer while the existing westbound carriageway will be rehabilitated and surfaced with a 13.2 mm single seal layer.
In addition the contract includes construction of a new bridge, the extension of an existing bridge, minor rehabilitation to existing bridges and construction of six large on site culverts and associated drainage works. The most challenging aspect related to the ancillary infrastructure is the location of the bridge over the Klein Olifants River and the fact that one of the culverts is at the entrance of the Middelburg Dam.
“The latter is probably the biggest challenge associated with this project, not just from a construction point of view but also from an environmental point of view,” Brink comments. “The client and its consultants have compiled its environmental management plans while we have our own in-house environmental manager to assist us, if need be.
“The contract commenced effectively at the beginning of the rainy season, which in itself does pose a challenge,” Brink says. He adds that the bridge over the Klein Olifants River is not expected to pose any specific problems. The full scope of the contract is a good benchmark for Murray & Roberts Infrastructure’s expert capabilities and total service offering.