SANRAL wins two awards for civil engineering structures

The Stafford's Post Interchange on the N2 highway between Kokstad and Harding on KwaZulu-Natal's South Coast received a commendation at the same awards ceremony for a civil engineering structure up to R100m in value. This interchange is due to be completed by July 2015.

The double honours for projects undertaken by South African National Roads Agency SOC Ltd (SANRAL) in keeping with its mandate from the government - to finance, improve, manage and maintain the national road network - speak highly of the quality of work on civil engineering structures.

The Fulton Awards began as a tribute to the late Dr Sandy Fulton for his outstanding contribution to the understanding of concrete, its development, and improvement. The award is made symbolically to the structure and is presented to the entire team responsible for its construction, including the owner/developer, all professionals, and the contractors.

High standard

Logashri Sewnarain, SANRAL Eastern Region manager, said the two most recent awards were a reflection of the high standard of work on SANRAL projects. "The award for Umgeni Road Interchange is particularly significant because it shows that despite the many challenges faced, it was still possible to produce world-class infrastructure.

"The accolades are testimony to the fact that we can hold our own in civil engineering excellence when competing in the national and international arenas and such recognition is much appreciated by everybody involved in the projects," Sewnarain said.

The Umgeni Road Interchange improvement project, with an estimated cost of R512m, is scheduled for completion in July 2015 but will largely depend on the contractor's progress on the site. This strategic interchange at the N2 will allow free flow traffic in all directions except the west to south movement, which will have an on demand signal controlled intersection.

Two ramps leading onto the N2 southbound and northbound carriageways have already been opened, substantially relieving the current delays experienced by motorists.