A new body, the Green Roads Council of South Africa (GRCSA), is seeking to develop a system rating the sustainability of road design and construction in the country.

The South African Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors (Safcec) serves on the interim board of the GRCSA, along with other relevant bodies, such as the Construction Industry Development Board.

The idea of green roads originated in the US, says Safcec national safety, hygiene, environ- ment, risk and quality adviser James Flint, which is why the GRCSA has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Green Roads Council of the US.

South Africa is likely to see an added chapter in its ratings tool not seen in the US, however, namely ‘socioeconomic impact’, owing to the country’s skills development and job creation targets.

Flint notes that the way in which a road, bridge, sidewalk or island is developed and built can be more or less environ- mentally friendly. The road can, for example, be constructed using recycled materials, such as building rubble or, as in a particular case in the US, recycled bathroom material.

In the end, the GRCSA board would like to develop a five-star rating tool for roads built or rehabilitated in South Africa, he says.

This tool will provide a means to assess the sustainability of road projects, providing recognition for those projects which deserve it, while also spurring on contractors and clients to consider the impact they have on the environment and surrounding communities when building a road, he adds.

“It would also most certainly stimulate innovation in road building.”

Flint chairs the technical and development committee of the GRCSA board, which will be responsible for developing the guidelines of the rating tool.

“We hope to have a workable rating tool by the end of 2013.”

The first draft will be out for comment in May.

“We hope to speak with several subject matter experts early in the new year to assist us with the localisation of the rating tool,” says Flint.

With regard to to the cost implications of building greener roads in South Africa, especially as many road projects are public-sector developments, Flint says the term ‘green’ does not necessarily have to equate to cost increases.

He adds that government also forms part of the process to develop an appropriate rating tool for the GRCSA.