Name and Location
Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP), South Africa.

Client
The project is managed by State-owned company South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral).

Project Description
The GFIP is a long-term freeway upgrade and expansion project, which entails the upgrade and construction of about 561 km of freeways in Gauteng.

Value
The Department of Transport (DoT), through Sanral, has invested more than R21-billion in the first phase of the project.

Duration
The project is substantially complete.

Latest Developments
President Jacob Zuma has signed into law the Transport Laws and Related Matters Amendment Bill – paving the way for e-tolling, the Presidency has said.

The law enables Sanral to implement e-tolling on Gauteng's freeways.

The signing came on the same day that the Supreme Court of Appeal was hearing argument by the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) to stop e-tolling in Gauteng.

Outa told the court that legislation allowed Sanral to explore options other than tolling to fund Gauteng's freeways.

It also heard that Sanral should, therefore, have kept an open mind about the matter, despite Cabinet's approval of electronic tolling.

"Even bound by the Cabinet decision, they still had to follow the procedures of the act," said Outa chairperson Mike Maritz.

Sanral should have considered this and should not have been bound by Cabinet's decision that the project be funded with public money through e-tolling.

The High Court, in Pretoria, had granted Outa leave to appeal against a previous judgment, handed down in December, dismissing its bid to have e-tolling scrapped.

Judge Fritz Brand asked whether Sanral should have ignored Cabinet's decision.

Transport Minister Dipuo Peters has said that the GFIP will be implemented this year, but that a starting date has not been determined.

The e-tolls have been challenged by political parties and the Congress of South AfricanTrade Unions (Cosatu).

In April 2012, the High Court, in Pretoria, granted Outa an interdict approving a full judicial review before electronic tolling could be put into effect.

The interdict prevented Sanral from levying or collecting e-tolls, pending the outcome of a review. Sanral and the National Treasury appealed the court order.

In September last year, the Constitutional Court set aside the interim order, and, in December, the High Court, in Pretoria, dismissed the application.

The court granted Outa leave on January 25 this year to take the matter to the Supreme Court of Appeal, in Bloemfontein.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
Basil Read Interchange [I/C] (improvements on the N1 section); Siyavaya joint venture (JV), comprising Group 5, Power Construction, Liviero, Umso Construction and Bophelong Construction (work package A and E); GFI Contractors JV, comprising Wilson Bayly Holmes-Ovcon (WBHO), Sanyati Construction, Rainbow Construction, Glash Construction, Munasi Civil Contractors and Esorfranki Civils, formerly Patula Construction (work package B); GLMB JV, comprising Grinaker-LTA, a member of the Aveng group, Moseme Road Construction and Boitshoko Road Surfacing (work package C and F); Basil Read JV, comprising Roadcrete, Chavani Construction and Dipcivil, or BRCD (work package D); CMC JV, comprising CMC di Ravenna South Africa and G4 Civils (work package G); Raubex Construction (upgrade of the R21); Power Group (upgrade of the R21 section 1 and 2); Tosas (subcontractor – bituminous binders); ETC JV (multilane free-flow tolling system); Jet Demolition (demolition of Allandale I/C bridge); ARQ Consulting Engineers (design of the Lynnwood Glen pedestrian and pipe bridge); Cadcon, subcontractor of BRCD JV (manufacture of the Lynnwood Glen pedestrian and pipe bridge); Beka (luminaires); Esorfranki Civils (work package J); Goba SSI JV (Gillooly's flyover); Much Asphalt, a Murray & Roberts company (asphalt supplier) and ETC JV, comprising Traffic Management Technologies and Kapsch TrafficCom (design and operate the open-road tolling system).

On Budget and on Time?
E-tolling was suspended on April 28, 2012, pending a full review; however, the Constitutional Court has set aside the interdict preventing Sanral from tolling some of Gauteng’s highways, while the proposed e-tolling system is undergoing judicial review in the North Gauteng High Court, in Pretoria.

Contact Details for Project Information
Sanral northern region manager of toll and traffic and project manager Alex van Niekerk, tel +27 11 426 6200; or corporate communications manager Priya Pillay, tel +27 12 844 8000, fax +27 12 844 8200 or email pressoffice@nra.co.za; or project manager: communications Wanda Cloete, tel +27 12 844 8000, fax +27 12 844 8200 or email wcloete@nra.co.za.