September 2020 Vol 28 No 8

Icivili Enjiniyering

SMART MOBILITY – A RESCUE PLAN FOR BALLAST OF

KEEPING IT SOUTH AFRICA’S THE FUTURE ON
REAL WITHIN PROVINCIAL HEAVY‑HAUL
FAST‑CHANGING ROAD NETWORK – LINES – ASSESSING
TRAVEL PATTERNS ANALYSIS AND THE VIABILITY OF
AND BEHAVIOUR RECOMMENDATIONS NEOBALLAST
 FR O M T H E PR E S I D E N T ’ S D E S K

Waiting with bated breath …

Numbers always tell a story. We are all aware of the devastating gap of R33 billion per year over the next ten years to make the
damage caused to our economy by the Covid-19 pandemic. The country water secure. Experts in the field advise that some
GDP has fallen 51% quarter on quarter (Stats SA GDP Q2 2020 projects are delayed and/or suspended because of lack of funding.
Report), and the economy is expected to contract by between Future planning for the water resources seem to have stalled or
7% and 13% this year. According to the Q1 Labour Force Survey, taken a back seat.
unemployment figures were already unsustainably high at the Very few water resource planning studies that are required to
time – narrow definition: 30.1% (7.1 million people), expanded initiate the necessary major projects, and/or to refine previous
definition: 39.7% (10.8 million people) – and are expected studies, are being issued by the DWS. The lack of these studies
to worsen. will have an impact on the initiation and implementation of
The tangibility of the R2.3 billion to be spent on projects as future projects.
announced by government has, however, not been felt by the While government (SIDSSA June 2020) has acknowledged
supply side industries yet. This delay culture is causing untold that, relative to other middle-income countries, access to water
harm. The industry is watching the horizon in anticipation of and sanitation is high (with 86% of the population having access
government’s promise to get the country out of the quagmire. to safely managed drinking water services, and 83% having access
Two of the sectors that need urgent attention are public trans- to safely managed sanitation services), the challenge is the reli-
port and water supply. ability of such services. Reliability is at 64% and current access to
sanitation services at 80% on average, but as low as 50% in some
PUBLIC TRANSPORT municipalities. Government further acknowledges that the 2019
The need for and roll-out of modernised transport infrastructure National Water and Sanitation Master Plan points out an ageing,
in South Africa form part of the current public discourse. The poorly maintained water infrastructure, while 56% of wastewater
Premier of Gauteng in his 2014 State of the Province Address an- treatment works and 44% of water treatment works are in a poor
nounced ten strategic pillars to transform and grow the economy condition. There are also complaints about the quality and reli-
of the province. One of these was the modernisation of public ability of water supply by water services providers, i.e. municipali-
transport, with rail as its backbone. The strategic pillars are ties. These problems require urgent attention.
noble and well-articulated goals but seem to have been deferred. A concerted effort by all stakeholders (both public and
Social and mainstream media are rife with videos and photos private) is required to stabilise the water sector. Unleashing
of industrial-scale pillage of infrastructure, particularly railway projects to solve these problems has become a matter of
infrastructure. Our nation has to get its act together to prevent paramount importance.
this new pandemic from getting out of control, if not out of
control already. IN CLOSING
The public transport industry in our country comprises The recovery plan in public transport is required as of yesterday.
three main modes – the commuter rail system and Gautrain The revenue lost by public transport operators needs remedial
rapid-rail system, the subsidised and unsubsidised commuter bus measures to at least return the industry to normality.
system (including BRTs), and the taxi industry (new modes now Handled correctly, South Africa could still
include e-hailing systems). These three main modes daily carry become the ‘laboratory’ for the urban transport
more than 90% of our nation for economic activity. The focus of systems of the future on our continent.
government should be on providing safe, accessible and affordable Water rationing, which is often incor-
public transport infrastructure as a lever towards a better life and rectly equated to ‘water shedding’, is seen
socio-economic development. by experts as being more severe than power
The supply side industries (consulting and construction outages. Government has to speedily address
in particular) are waiting with bated breath to contribute this potential crisis, and adequately com-
to the planning and implementation of public transport municate the risks and mitigation measures to
infrastructure projects. all stakeholders.
The future of our children depends on what
WATER SUPPLY we do today as a nation.
Water is the life blood of a nation. Our constitution decrees that
every South African has the right to sufficient water and food, Fana Marutla
and that the government needs to facilitate the achievement of
this right by legislative means. The Presidency’s Investment and SAICE President 2020
[email protected]
Infrastructure Office has estimated that there will be a funding

Civil Engineering  September 2020 1

 September 2020 Vol 28 No 8

Icivili Enjiniyering

SMART MOBILITY – A RESCUE PLAN FOR BALLAST OF

KEEPING IT SOUTH AFRICA’S THE FUTURE ON
REAL WITHIN PROVINCIAL HEAVY-HAUL
FAST-CHANGING ROAD NETWORK – LINES – ASSESSING
TRAVEL PATTERNS ANALYSIS AND THE VIABILITY OF
AND BEHAVIOUR RECOMMENDATIONS NEOBALLAST

oN THE cOVER P6
Icivili Enjiniyering = IsiNdebele

ON THE COVER
Taxis creating their own ranks, and taxi
passengers crossing roads in dangerous
places are familiar sights that cause ­ Public transport, as guided by the National Land Transport Act of 2009, is currently undergoing
frustration and danger for passengers major changes, and SIYAZI is assisting with steering these changes through the transition phases
and traffic. SIYAZI addresses this
problem by understanding the transport
system and implementing the National
Land Transport Act (Act 9 of 2009) in FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK
designing integrated transport plans.
Waiting with bated breath … ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 1

South African
Institution of
Civil Engineering CEO’S CORNER
The economics of sustainable infrastructure in South Africa�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 5
September 2020 Vol 28 No 7

Icivili Enjiniyering

Published by SAICE ON THE COVER

Block 19, Thornhill Office Park,
Bekker Street, Vorna Valley, Midrand
Private Bag X200, Halfway House, 1685
Tel +27 11 805 5947/8  |  Fax +27 11 805 5971 SIYAZI – transport planning solutions that empower������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 6
http://www.saice.org.za | [email protected]
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Vishaal Lutchman PrEng PMP
[email protected]  |  Tel: +27 11 805 5947/8
Editor
Verelene de Koker
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING
[email protected]

Smart mobility – keeping it real������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 8

Tel +27 11 805 5947/8  |  Cell +27 83 378 3996
Editorial Panel
Marco van Dijk (chairman), Irvin Luker (vice-chairman),
Fana Marutla (president), Vishaal Lutchman (CEO),
Steven Kaplan (COO), Andile Gqaji, Jeffrey Mahachi, The upgrade of the Hammarsdale interchange��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 12
Avi Menon, Prisca Mhlongo, Jones Moloisane,

Resealing Main Road 23 and Trunk Road 23 Section 2����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 15

Beate Scharfetter, Verelene de Koker (editor), Sharon Mugeri
(editor’s assistant), Barbara Spence (advertising)
Annual subscription rate

Roads infrastructure for the iconic Mall of Thembisa��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 20

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A rescue plan for South Africa’s provincial road network��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 26

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Ballast of the future on heavy-haul lines: Assessing the viability of Neoballast on the Coal Line����������������������� 30
expressed in this publication, and all information is

More than just a façade – the importance of a positive connection in MSEW����������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 36

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Civil Engineering  September 2020

 P12

IN BRIEF
Hillary and Tjeka place road construction training in the fast lane����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 46

Quality traffic and transportation engineering services keep

renewable energy projects on track ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 47

UP and CSIR sign collaboration agreement on smart transport, cities and environments ������������������49

DISPUTE BOARDS P15

Dispute Boards – Ethics in Today’s World of DRBs (article 13) ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 51

SAICE AND PROFESSIONAL NEWS

Obituaries

Kenneth Neil Soderlund������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 53

Wolf Weidemann ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 53

Emeritus Professor Mike de Kock ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������54

Letters������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 55
P20
SAICE Training Calendar 2020 ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������56

CARTOON
Civillain by Jonah Ptak: I’d like to thank everyone who stood by me������������������������������������������������������������������������������������57

FUN QUIZ
SAICE Know Your Sector Competition����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 4
P47
 REMINDER: Websites and email addresses on adverts are LIVE, and so is our contents page. HAPPY CLICKING! 3
Our Second Know Your Sector Competition Winner!
Sean Wessels is the July winner of our Sean believes that balance and avoiding
monthly Know Your Sector Competition, stagnation are key life principles. “One
which is adding R10 000 to the bank account should never cease to learn new things.
of one lucky entrant every month! To keep the balance, this means not only
Sean, who graduated from the University furthering one’s knowledge within one’s field,
of Pretoria with a degree in civil engineering, but also having a broad general knowledge of
works at Virtual Consulting Engineers, where disciplines beyond the engineering practice.”
he also worked part-time while studying. No wonder then that his interests include
Sean’s main engineering interest is in the sculpting, architecture and art, and that
field of wastewater treatment. He says: “I have he aspires to attend Delft University in the
committed myself to wastewater treatment Netherlands to further fulfil his passion for
purely because I believe any engineer willing hydraulics and wastewater treatment.
to make the slightest advancement, or follow On being asked what he intends doing
best practice, can make an enormous dif- with his prize money, Sean says that the
ference within this particular field. Proper wastewater treatment money will be the first lump sum in a new savings account dedi-
combats disease and truly improves the standard of living of our cated towards a deposit for a house one day.
people. I also believe that clean running water and sanitation should And how did he feel when he learnt that he was the winner?
be accessible to all. Ensuring that wastewater treatment plants “My first reaction was that the news was simply too good to be
operate optimally and within best practice is the first step towards true. Even after hours and hours of knowing how blessed I am, I
making future changes possible.” couldn’t stop smiling! R10 000!!! I then committed to the idea that
Because he enjoys outdoor activities, Sean is a strong advocate the next time my name appears in the SAICE magazine, it will be
for environmental preservation. “This keeps me rooted and for an engineering marvel.”
reminds me to always wear an environmental lens when finding Congratulations again Sean! And we look forward to one
solutions. I am happy to say that my employer shares my passion day publishing an article about your engineering marvel.
and encourages my environmental compass and enthusiasm.”  Keep us posted! 

Know Your Sector Competition

Stand a chance to win R10 000 in cash!
In this month’s edition of Civil Engineering we are continuing our Fun Quiz to promote knowledge of our industry service providers. Simply click
on the adverts (or the logos) of the participating companies to access their websites, and then search for the answers to the following questions:

Q1: Siyazi (click on the logo on the Q3: Reinforced Earth 2020 Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 225
What is Reinforced Earth’s “Completed Project” in International Design Firms?
front cover)
Which professional services does Siyazi offer in Swaziland?
Q6: ASPASA
the transport fields listed on the quiz answer
Which sector of the mining industry does
sheet?
Q4: Standard Bank ASPASA represent?
Which one of the services listed on the quiz
Q2: Technocad answer sheet does Standard Bank offer to Q7: Enterprises University of Pretoria
Which Technocad Civil Engineering software construction businesses specifically? How many courses are listed on the Enterprises
would you use if you needed to accurately University of Pretoria enquiry form?
transform an AutoCAD drawing of a survey
from the Cape Datum (modified Clarke 1880 Q5: SMEC Q8: Maccaferri
ellipsoid) to the Hartebeesthoek94 Datum SMEC’s parent company, Surbana Jurong, What type of geosynthetic soil reinforcement is
(WGS84 ellipsoid) and vice-versa? recently received which ranking within the used in roads?

TO ENTER: Scan or click on the QR code to submit PS: Advertisers who wish to capitalise on the reader
your answers (submissions, one per reader, will attention here by including their marketing messages into
be collected until 31 October, where after the our monthly Fun Quiz should please contact Barbara Spence
winner will be announced from a random draw). ([email protected] / 011 463 7940 / 082 881 3454).

4 September 2020  Civil Engineering

 C E O ’ S CO R N E R

The economics of sustainable

infrastructure in South Africa
SAICE supports the notion that infra-
8 21
structure affects productivity and output

Contribution to growth in real fixed capital

directly as part of GDP formation whilst 6 20

formation (percentage points)

contributing to the production and
growth of other sectors. 4 19

Percent of GDP
For example, investment in power, water
and transport infrastructure would allow 2 18

companies in industry to thrive, with sig-

0 17
nificant comparative advantages. These are
exactly some of the key focus areas of the –2
infrastructure build programme intended to
resurrect our economy. Should we manage –4
to prepare our projects while leveraging our
excellent strategic planning frameworks –6
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018*
and development plans, and keep to robust
Year
project management methodologies, we will
General government Public corporations *  First three quarters
be sure to attract the much-desired funding.
Private businesses Gross-fixed capital formation (RHS)
In essence, we are ready to execute our build
programme, which has been in waiting for
Figure 1 Trend in government and private sector investments in South Africa (Source: National
over a decade. There is now a significant Treasury Budget Review 20 February 2019, page 17, figure 2.3 Available at: http://
demand for new builds and refurbishments. www.treasury.gov.za/documents/national%20budget/2019/review/FullBR.pdf)
South Africa has the key engineering
capabilities required to build much of the infrastructure investment. Should public With reference to Figure 1, it is evident
infrastructure related to power, water and sector investments be lean and focused on that both public and private sector invest-
transport. However, to address concepts employing effective technology, increased ment decreased year on year. At present,
of sustainability, we have not been effec- private sector competitiveness would there is low private sector confidence in the
tive in leveraging such infrastructure to follow. If we could get this methodology to public sector having the ability to invest
industrialise our economy. In so doing we work, we will certainly have a great future and spend effectively and efficiently on
will be able to bring competitive advantages to look forward to. capital projects, which constrains growth.
to businesses, thereby making South Africa Specifically, harnessing our transporta- This suggests that business and govern-
a bargain for foreign investment. Prosperity tion systems is the most effective mecha- ment have to work in unison if we are to
and peace do not have to be elusive goals. nism to derive quick wins in revitalising grow our economy. This philosophy under-
The civil engineering sector has the exper- our economy. We have existing systems pins our strategic investment plan (2045),
tise to execute these plans, but needs the that move passengers and freight on road, should parties choose to embrace the need
will from clients, investors and developers to rail, water and by air, and these systems to reverse current negative social trends.
do so effectively. have good revenue potential should In summary, this article serves to con-
To improve our quality of life and they be executed by a robust economic firm that the economic fundamentals are
economic growth, South Africa needs to development plan that supports flexible good and are well understood by private and
increase the public stock of infrastructure, public–private profit share. Going forward, public sector leaders, leaving us with the op-
now more than ever. And we have to attend the public sector investment plan has to be portunity to reverse our previous bad habits
to the existing social trends, such as urban developed with private sector investment that are currently preventing the country
and regional poverty, poor race relations, included so that the intended congruent from progressing to economic vitality. The
poor access to quality education, disparate spend, over the long term, assists with current generation of leaders can either
quality access to health care, housing the development of the focused economic build or destroy, and the path they choose
shortages, and environmental degradation, sectors, such as a firm desire to reverse depends on the level of care and conscience
to name a few. It is assumed that invest- the aforementioned negative social trends. they have for the plight of society.
ment in public infrastructure will address A balance in public–­private investment
these social trends, resulting in improving has the effect of balancing consumption Vishaal Lutchman Pr Eng, PMP
our economic vitality. Historically, private and production factors. To date, however,
[email protected]
sector investment follows public sector investments remain skew.

Civil Engineering  September 2020 5

O N T H E COV E R

Public transport, as guided by the National Land Transport Act

of 2009, is currently undergoing major changes, and SIYAZI is
assisting with steering these changes through the transition phases

SIYAZI – transport planning

solutions that empower
Systems need to be managed once they have been built –
Millions of South Africans depend on the taxi industry
passengers and transport providers both need rules and
for their travelling needs. However, the essential role order which appropriately define their respective spaces

of our taxis, and the very real needs of passengers and

taxi operators alike are not always fully appreciated.
SIYAZI is increasingly assisting in this space.

FAMILIAR SCENARIO
Public transport, especially by taxis, caters by far for most of the
travelling community. Yet it often must share the crumbs when it
comes to the provision of facilities and accessibility. This despite
the requirements of the National Land Transport Act (Act 95
of 2009) (NLTA) to integrate transport and land-use provision.
Taxis creating their own ranks, and taxi passengers crossing
roads in dangerous places are familiar sights that cause frustra-
tion and danger for passengers and traffic in general. The cover
photo of this edition clearly shows that customer needs (resulting
from poor accessibility, and inadequate loading and waiting facili-
ties) weigh more heavily on daily taxi operations than abiding by
traffic rules.

6 September 2020  Civil Engineering

Dedicated and well organised taxi ranks are a boon for both passengers and operators

STEERING THE INTEGRATION Transport operations that serve any that feed all economic and social activities.
OF SYSTEMS development are linked to a system or net- These demands and requirements are
Public transport, as guided by the NLTA, work of public transport services that carry easier to deal with if a new development is
is currently undergoing major changes, customers and workers to their final des- planned on an open piece of land. SIYAZI,
and these changes need to be managed tinations. Public transport, however, also however, offers planning and creative
and steered through the transition phases. needs to be integrated with the different initiatives when existing areas and facilities
This is the case in most cities where the modes of transport (taxis, buses, trains). In need to be redeveloped.
informal public transport systems are creating a balance between the modes it is
being transformed into more formal important that there should be appropriate ABIDING BY THE RULES
systems or networks. In developing and integration between the different elements It is also important to manage a system
implementing integrated public transport of the system – for example, operational once it has been built. Passengers and the
plans, the objectives of the NLTA are integration between the timetables of the providers of transport both need rules
being executed. SIYAZI supports munici- different modes, fare integration where and systems that appropriately and fully
palities, developers and the bus and taxi customers can use electronic single tickets, define their respective spaces. In this regard
industries to develop integrated transport and ownership integration where the the bylaws of the city or town need to be
networks that are in line with the NLTA. feeders and the line haul operations share updated and applied to the new land-use
It is important to consider the owners in the wealth of the route. and transportation balance which had been
of the existing taxi operations when plan- South Africa’s public transport prob- created by the new developments and city
ning and implementing new networks. lems can be solved if the role players of environments. Based on their many years of
This is an extremely sensitive and delicate both the transport systems and land-use experience in this area, SIYAZI is excellently
process, as current taxi operators invested developments understand and implement positioned to assist in fulfilling these aims.
all their assets to develop the existing sys- the objectives of integration as required by It has to be emphasised that these
tems. Moving to a new integrated system, the NLTA. To this end SIYAZI offers its rules and bylaws need to be applied
even as shareholders, causes considerable services, bringing the different role players diligently, otherwise the balance reached
uncertainty to the taxi industry since the together and helping them to integrate ac- between transport and land-use will be
taxi leadership understandably questions cording to the guidelines of the Act. What disturbed and the development might not
the ability of underperforming local is needed in rural areas is the provision of function properly and as planned.
authorities to implement new systems transport infrastructure and services that To retain a workable balance in this mix,
successfully. would open up opportunities for business and to ensure that each party understands
SIYAZI is, however, assisting in and job creation, while in urban areas it the respective benefits and liabilities, there
building acceptance of the taxi industry in is land-use development that dictates the has to be management agreements between
the planning world. For SIYAZI, gaining level and capacity of road and transport the various role players who share space at
the trust of the taxi industry comes a long infrastructure that is required. a development. Such agreements, however,
way, starting even before the official es- The answer to the public transport should not be cast in stone – as time passes
tablishment of the company in 1996, when problem lies in a holistic approach in the these parties must consider the developing
senior members of the company already planning of land use, transport and infra- situation and adjust accordingly.
worked with the taxi industry. SIYAZI structure. The pressure, especially in urban
ensures that facilities and developments areas, is to balance the demand and supply Info
not only meet the needs of the developers of the required space in order to effectively Sias Oosthuizen
or the authorities, but that the needs of meet the needs of the customers and CEO: SIYAZI
the taxi industry and its operators are also workers who support and sustain the busi- +27 12 343 6259
[email protected]
taken care of. nesses which in turn lay the golden eggs

Civil Engineering  September 2020 7

TRANSPORT ENGINEERING

Smart mobility – keeping it real

and multi-disciplined, crossing different lives. Data from Stats SA (2013), based on
Dr Werner Heyns Pr Pln
Strategic Planning & Advisory Lead: Africa
industries and technologies, and including a general household survey, shows that ap-
AECOM multiple stakeholders, hence requiring proximately 30% of households own at least
[email protected] different forms of investment. one vehicle. This statistic is considered low
If there were a South African Smart compared to the United States (70%) and
Mobility playbook it would provide a Europe (50%), but much higher on average
Transportation is experiencing several plethora of options for consideration than most countries in Africa (OECD/IEA
profound transformations – from changes and implementation. However, by being 2014). According to the National Household
in travel patterns and behaviours due to the pragmatic and bringing the conversation Travel Survey (2013), 39.1% of journeys to
global pandemic, to technology advances to our shores, there is a need to select work take place using public transport,
in vehicle communication and automa- the most appropriate mobility solutions 30.8% by car and 21.1% on foot. In addition
tion. New technologies are changing both that respond to South Africa’s needs. to this, it is shown that 66% of those house-
people’s habits, and the dynamics and Preparing for the future requires vision, holds using public transport spend 30% of
structure of cities, and in turn the changes understanding, experience, and most of their income on transport.
in social habits and trends will inevitably all, imagination. The question therefore These statistics (also see Figure 1)
affect the role of future mobility. The is: How do we plan for an ever-changing imply that there is an imbalance and
biggest threats to planning the future of future, and what should smart mobility that these serious challenges need to be
mobility are underestimating the complex realistically look like in South Africa? overcome. Planning ‘smart cities’ that
interactions that will shape future condi- deliver clever mobility solutions should be
tions and not acting soon enough as tech- SOME CONTEXT an important policy.
nology changes and new ideas emerge. The spatial divides created by the apartheid
The reality is that planners and engi- legacy have prevented inclusive develop- WHAT ARE THE NEEDS WE
neers are not the only players in creating ment and connectivity in South Africa SHOULD ADDRESS?
the future of mobility. Other sectors, such and are compounded by poor accessibility In localising or shaping different types of
as the automotive, ICT, IT, ITS industries, in both urban and rural areas. In many smart mobility solutions for South Africa
equipment manufacturers, tech start-ups, instances there is a need to travel (in search they must be linked to transport needs
think tanks, and those in the financial and of jobs, shopping, medical care or to access and priorities. Having reviewed relevant
transaction advisory industry, are also education), but mobility options are not national transport policy, including the
driving the narrative and direction of our readily available, or affordability is an issue. NDP 2030, the NLTSF, Medium Term
mobility future. In many cases people appear stranded. Expenditure Framework (MTEF), Medium
With this there is a huge opportunity As the South African population urba- Term Strategic Framework (MTSF 2014–
where the combination of knowledge from nises, the need for more innovative urban 2019), NATMAP 2050, the White Paper
different role players could bring about mobility solutions is growing, and so too are for Transport, as well as other government
the changes that the collective seeks to the needs for rural mobility. The inability strategic plans, the following issues and/
adapt to. To progress, partnership is re- for people to access affordable, reliable or or needs are some of the most pertinent
quired, as the solutions are multi-faceted available transport is negatively impacting within the transport industry:

66% >50% 30% 63%

… of households using public … of train and bus users
… of South African … of South Africans are
transport spend 30% of spend more than two hours
households own a vehicle. living in urban areas.
their income on transport. travelling to and from work.

R60 billion R244 billion

… lost to economic
R142 billion 25.1
… of logistics costs
productivity due to congestion. … lost due to accidents … road fatalities per
(57%) are due to
The average person wastes on South African roads. 100 000 South Africans.
transportation costs.
R7 100 / year sitting in traffic

Figure 1 Summary of some imbalances that need to be overcome

8 September 2020  Civil Engineering

QQ Exponential growth for urban mobility the 21.1% of the population travelling to South Africa’s context, decisions need to
requirements (due to urbanisation) for work on foot (the ‘stranded’) and those who be made about which elements of smart
a variety of trip purposes and varying prefer to use (or could use) public transport mobility are really needed and affordable,
distances or shared mobility options? Should it be given the historic disjointed connectivity,
QQ A transport system that enables focused on road safety, more efficient use a poor road-safety record, spatial segrega-
and supports rural development, of transport assets and lowering transport tion and funding constraints.
improving rural mobility and acces- costs by considering new mobility models It will be necessary to map the needs
sibility to economic opportunities or approaches? This suggests that a main to specific solutions and allow for private
QQ Developmentally responsive, challenge is to determine what role smart sector innovation. Therefore, it might be
customer-focused and commercially mobility and its underlying components can an idea to package possible smart mobility
driven public transport play in supporting innovation, 4IR, transport transport ideals into scenarios. These
QQ Greater mobility options, particularly systems efficiency and the social develop- could include a variety of smart mobility
for those who do not have/want pri- mental needs of the country. themes and impact areas (as illustrated
vately owned vehicles in Table 1) with a view to measure and
QQ Responsiveness to the Fourth SMART MOBILITY understand the impacts. If this is possible,
Industrial Revolution (4IR) ECOSYSTEM OPTIONS we might be able to map out the steps we
QQ Spatial inclusiveness Smart mobility can take many different need to get to where we want to be.
QQ Infrastructure asset management forms, including ridesharing, e-public AECOM has developed Mobilitics™ as a
QQ Traffic congestion management and transportation, e-bike sharing, AVs, EVs, scenario planning tool that considers mul-
road safety communication between modes of trans- tiple possible versions of the future and the
QQ Affordability to access the transport port and physical transport infrastructure underlying interactions from AVs to EVs and
network via a wireless network. everything in-between. This allows for early
QQ Environmental sustainability Using sensors, ICT, IoT, data platforms decision-making to define what the potential
QQ Non-motorised transport network and software, the built environment can impacts might be and what action needs
development. manage transport networks, infrastruc- to be taken. Mobilitics™ can greatly help
These needs demonstrate that South Africa ture and services in an integrated manner. with eliminating guesswork, as we can see
requires a transport system that is consistent Table 1 provides a summary of some what produces the most desirable impacts
with the factual needs of its people. With smart mobility solutions (the list provided based on needs, likely evolving behavioural
this, many questions may arise. Would the is not exhaustive) that can be localised to changes and technological advances.
widespread implementation of autonomous South Africa. Based on long-range transportation
vehicles (private or public) address the trans- planning and travel demand forecasting,
port needs in South Africa if only 30% of MAKING THE CONNECTION Mobilitics™ provides comprehensive sce-
the population owns a vehicle today? Should From Table 1 it can be seen that the spec- nario planning capabilities. By testing mul-
South Africa’s smart mobility future target trum of solutions is wide-ranging. Given tiple scenarios, Mobilitics™ will highlight

Table 1 Summary of some smart mobility solutions that can be localised to South Africa
Smart mobility
Examples Functionalities
Themes Impact areas

Cooperation Public and private sectors enable active response to suitable new mobility
Innovation networks
and systems.
Policy enablement and

innovation Public sector ensures access by private parties to public assets, e.g. public
networks Responsible sharing of assets
transport data and infrastructure.
organisation

Public sector takes the lead in defining the spectrum of needs and policy
Policy recalibration
planning changes required to enable future smart mobility implementation.
Policies and Insurance for new ownership(s) and sharing of assets (e.g. who is responsible?)
Framework for liability
legislations to promote the adoption of sustainable mobility modes.
Data privacy and legislation at a global level to ensure integration and
Globalisation
consistency.
Encouraging people to choose more active mobility options by redesigning
the urban space with more attractive green areas. Demonstrate by way
Encouraging green behaviour
of pilot studies / case studies / active public participation to raise public
Behavioural change

awareness.
Values, Redesign urban areas to release infrastructure for purposes other than
motives and Repurposing of public living areas
transport.
behavioural
change By demonstrating the benefits of mobility change, people’s travel reasons and
Conscious decisions purposes will change, reducing the need to travel and increasing the choice
to use alternative forms of travel.
Communities create value by realising local and personal initiatives in which
Self-improving communities
energy and mobility solutions are shared and exchanged.

Civil Engineering  September 2020 9

 Smart mobility
Examples Functionalities
Themes Impact areas
Active management and light on demand support road safety by adjusting
Smart street lighting the brightness of street lighting to the desired level, light flashing or different
colours in case of road accidents or adverse weather.
Increase intelligent assets, e.g. sensors, cameras and inductive loops for
Roads that harvest energy (solar roads)
detection and energy production providing electricity to street furniture.
Hazard warning, road safety and helping drivers to keep to the speed limit,
Roads that produce sound
and warning of the vehicle being too near to the edge of the road.
Vehicle weighing High-speed weigh-in-motion.
Electric vehicle charging Roads that automatically charge your electric vehicle.
Safety ranking and classification system of corridors and intersections. The
Smart Driver Behaviour Index (DBI) system
public values living in areas where road safety has a good record.
infrastructure
Convert highway shoulders into smart travel lanes managed dynamically
through electronic signs, cameras and control rooms to increase road capacity
Smart travel lanes and keep traffic moving.
Smart charging and adaptive road markings.
Create areas including green corridors for cycling and walking, e-bike
Redesigning dedicated areas
highways, e-vehicle charging systems and areas for autonomous vehicles.
Identify areas and provide availability for fast charging of electric vehicles (e.g.
Energy-efficient solutions
inductive charging) and increased local storage of energy.
Integrated transport system that matches supply and demand for sustainable
Self-organising transport system
transport.
New modes, including e-bikes, hover
Sustainable technologies for a range of lightweight vehicle applications.
boards and e-scooters (micro-mobility)
Smart mobility
modes New modes, including e-bus, e-public
transport, autonomous and electric Sustainable transport technologies.
vehicles
Sustainable technology

Communication with transport Communication between vehicles and surrounding infrastructure, people and
Connectivity environment transport network, e.g. V2I, V2V, V2X.
and robotising Connecting vehicles for more critical purposes, such as platooning. Requires
Autonomous driving
roll-out of 5G and fibre networks.
Fast (real-time) information management
and control of traffic flows and crowds Traffic, and incident management and control.
(enabled by smart infrastructure)
One integrated smart system for intermodal transport (private and public,
Self-learning traffic management system
passengers and goods) based on different data sources.
Active monitoring, management and on-demand. To support asset
Data and traffic
management, e.g. failure and damage detection, provide light if needed
management Smart street lighting
otherwise dark where possible. Support emergency response, events,
systems
hazardous roads conditions, etc.
New protocols to connect systems and enable roaming of services (e.g.
New protocols integrated billing, booking and dynamic pricing over multiple mobility
modes).
Sharing of personal data is considered valuable and enables market uptake for
Sharing of private data for added value
sharing initiatives towards Mobility as a Service (MaaS).
Mobility services and sharing initiatives,
Based on (open) data and the matching of supply and demand, enabling
e.g. mobility, transport and parking as a
new, disruptive mobility services. Bookings and billing services are integrated
service, mobility on demand and ride, car
Personalised across multiple public transport solutions (app-based connectivity).
and bike sharing
services
Flexible choices across a variety of modes and services and the use of
Demand-driven services (e.g. Uber) dynamic/variable price matching responding to different needs, levels of
affordability and lifestyles.
New technological solutions for lightweight logistics (e.g. drones and robot
Lightweight logistic solutions
delivery of small packages).
Sharing of resources to integrate logistics flows by sharing hubs, storage, data
Integration of logistics resources
and transport.
Logistics Internet-enabled real-time monitoring of locations and status of goods, and
Connected logistics
connectivity among different logistics service providers.

Combining transport of goods with all mobility modes (‘cargo hitching’). New
Intermodal logistics solutions
modes, including using multifunctional drones and small (shared) vehicles.

10 September 2020  Civil Engineering

 QQ Policy recalibration towards a smart
mobility future, creating institutional
System performance/efficiency capabilities to foster collaboration and
– Change in vehicle hours delay/LOS
– Change in accidents pilot experimentation.
– Changes in travel time/speed QQ An initial localised assessment to
– Changes in vehicle hours travelled

– C r av e l a n g e i n v e
determine community mobility needs

Sys ges in VKT) oda e occu

han le d s in hic
(VHT) (veh hrs/day)

t h es

tem ve (ve l sp pa
uce en ve h

– C han g
d s t im nue
nd m e re t
s

and concerns which could benefit

–C
– I ploy d fre c grow
– E Tax a onom omic

d in c t s

pro hicle h km lit (% ncy

p en p a

( m l
– Ec con

01

du kilo /da )
g from immediate smart mobility solu-
m n i

cti m y)
– E

vit etr
tions (focusing on quick wins), fol-

y es
07 02 lowed by mapping needs and priorities
to smart mobility solutions.
QQ Showcase or demonstrate smart mo-
– Cost a road accidents ting cost

bility solutions – broad uptake could be

Smart
Finance ith change in

–C
– Cost o cost effec tive
– Cost o nges (R/ℓ)
a function of initial public participation

Syste
Mobility

o
ra

s t
(R/veh changes

c ha
or t ope

and understanding the value of the

m
06 03

f
f emissio
f

fuel con changes

s

V
w

K
solution or benefits of mobility change.
d

km)
Y
c transp
ia te

Some examples could include:

sumptio
n
ssoc

– Publi

QQ Pilot smart transportation corri-

ness
n
05 04 dors, e.g. for electric/hybrid vehicle
t
men V ) use, which include electric vehicle
a n age LGV/HG
m (
L an
– Ch d u s e a em ition elled charging infrastructure and/or
Syst compos iles trav a)
ang nd d ee t em are rship
e in
park evelopm – Fl Vehicl ehicle & le owne ze mobility hubs
in g d e n – by v c i
ema t ( in veh fleet s ffic
i QQ Pilot micro-mobility, e.g. as scholar
nd n g e ehicle ht tra
a g
– Ch Total v e in frei transport options combined with
– ang
– C h non-motorised transport solutions
QQ Pilot integrated payment and

mobility applications
Figure 2 Smart Mobility scenario planning guide QQ Allow local communities to define

their mobility needs and translate

risks and opportunities, allowing planners develop mobility scenarios and a those into localised smart mobility
and decision-makers to see in real-time the future that meets actual local needs. solutions whether in a suburb,
impacts of decisions related to: QQ Consider the optics – as mobility township, university campus, mall,
QQ Technology adoption rates solutions are totally in the public eye, or part of a home-to-work journey
QQ Policies required creating the right public perception and By involving the public at grass-roots
QQ Business models positive intent are important to prevent level, decision-makers will develop a
QQ Pricing strategies the development of a ‘white elephant’. better understanding of what works
QQ Market-based considerations. QQ Recalibrate and update existing and what does not.
By considering several behavioural and transport policy. QQ Promote sustainable technologies,
technology trends within a scenario, In summary the following high-level including smart infrastructure, smart
we can measure the transport system recommendations are proposed: mobility modes, data and traffic manage-
changes and impacts brought about by the QQ Driving greater partnership between ment systems and personalised services.
smart mobility solutions (see Figure 2). government-led Smart Mobility
We can also see how well they meet the centres of excellence and the private IN CLOSING
needs specified at the outset. sector, e.g. in the form of an open If we start implementing some of these
and coordinated forum allowing for recommendations it will help foster in-
WHAT COULD SOUTH AFRICA’S SMART greater ideation, innovation and tech- novation in public policy, multi-stakeholder
MOBILITY FUTURE LOOK LIKE? nology transfer. By using an inclusive collaboration and partnerships that are
Given the context described above, and platform that coordinates the complex people-centric. Leaving the smart mobility
asking what South Africa’s smart mobility interactions and dynamics in mobility, roll-out to the free market, and simply
future could look like, the following and translating real needs into local letting it run in an ad hoc manner as
conclusions are offered: solutions, the process will potentially technology develops, is not advisable. This
QQ Smart mobility trajectory – South create the necessary innovation that will lead to uncertainty in smart mobility
African smart mobility role players the travelling public deserves. implementation – planners and engineers
may have to rethink the smart mobility QQ Defining what needs to be done at need to take back control. With a pragmatic
trajectory, i.e. responding to real needs a national policy level to create an and cooperative approach, it would be pos-
and not drive a narrative through a enabling environment. sible to bring about relevant smart mobility
commercial or technology lens only. QQ Development of a South African Smart solutions and the type of change sought,
QQ Reframe the discourse – around Mobility playbook that facilitates, aligned to our local, provincial and national
a national narrative that helps to amongst others, scenario planning. priorities and needs. 

Civil Engineering  September 2020 11

The upgrading of the Hammarsdale interchange under way

The upgrade of the

Hammarsdale interchange
BACKGROUND in collaboration with the eThekwini solved by locating the new bridge adjacent
The Hammarsdale interchange is located Municipality, since Hammarsdale is an to the existing bridge. This meant that,
50 km outside of Durban on the N3 towards economic node of the municipality. with appropriate traffic accommodation,
Pietermaritzburg. Hammarsdale is a low- Using projected future traffic capacity the new interchange could be constructed
capacity standard diamond interchange requirements, it was proposed that the without significantly affecting existing
providing access to Cato Ridge, Peacevale interchange be upgraded to a free-flow in- commercial activities and traffic patterns.
and the township of Mpumalanga. terchange. This meant a significant increase As the N3 is an important national
However, with the increase in development in the width of the bridge from two lanes to economic conduit, the impact of restric-
along the N3 and the need for large national five, and an increase in the area required for tions on N3 road users was of primary
businesses to establish key national distribu- the interchange ramp configuration. importance. With this in mind, Hatch,
tion warehouses with easy access to the N3, SANRAL, working in conjunction who were appointed to undertake the
Hammarsdale began to develop. with the adjacent landowners, procured design and contract administration
The capacity of the original inter- the required land and obtained the of the project, produced design and
change was limiting development in the required environmental approval so that contract documentation that included
area. SANRAL (South African National implementation of the upgraded inter- specific details to mitigate the impact of
Roads Agency SOC Limited) has always change could commence. construction activities on the travelling
seen itself as a facilitator in providing public. The new bridge was designed to
world-class infrastructure that supports N3 CHALLENGES be constructed using precast beams with
the development of South Africa. In The challenge of keeping the existing a cast in-situ deck requiring no formwork
line with this, SANRAL initiated the interchange open to traffic during the below the bridge. This ensured that while
upgrade of the Hammarsdale interchange construction of the new arrangement was the bridge deck was being constructed,

12 September 2020  Civil Engineering

traffic could safely use the N3 underneath.
With this design and construction approach,
each carriageway of the N3 traffic was stopped
for a maximum of only 16 hours while traffic
was accommodated on bypasses.
After the opening of the new bridge, the
old bridge was demolished and removed in just
19 hours, with minimal disruption to the N3
road users.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS
Environmental and aesthetic aspects of the up-
grade were included in the design. This included
the removal, safe keeping and replanting of in-
digenous vegetation at the interchange site, while
pigmented bridge façades were used to reflect
the colour of the local aloe flowers. These ele-
ments have resulted in a feature bridge that has
enhanced the natural environment of the area.

LOCAL ECONOMIC INJECTION

Economic upliftment of the communities sur-
rounding the project site was an important as-
pect of the project. To this end, the contractor
engaged the services of 16 local businesses, 14
of these being SMMEs (small, medium and
micro enterprises). At the height of the con-
struction, between the main contractor and his
local sub-contractors, over 246 local residents
were employed on the project on a monthly
basis. This resulted in approximately R46.8
million being spent on wages, which is a direct
injection of money into the local economy. Of
this amount, R23.7 million was paid to labour
classified as youth and R7.9 million was paid to
female labour. R41,6 million was furthermore
spent on local businesses for the provision of
construction plant and materials.
After the opening of the new bridge, the old bridge
was demolished and removed in just 19 hours, with
POSITIVE IMPACT minimal disruption to the N3 road users
While the project (which commenced in May
2016 and was handed over in May 2020) has
not been without its challenges, it has proved
to be an example of how SANRAL achieves
technical improvements to the national road
network while also supporting local economic
development and community upliftment in the
areas adjacent to their infrastructure projects.
The project also showcased the positive public–
public partnership that can lead to successful
infrastructure delivery, as the eThekwini
Municipality contributed R93.5 million towards
the construction phase of the project.

Info
Hatch
Peter Henderson
[email protected]
learn more at hatch.com

Civil Engineering  September 2020 13

Resealing Main Road 23 
and Trunk Road 23 Section 2
Louwrens Mostert Pr Eng, M Eng
Production Engineer: Roads Contracts
Roads Branch, Transport and Public Works
Western Cape Government
[email protected]

Louise Buys Pr Eng, PMP

Executive: Transportation Lead: Western Cape
Civil Infrastructure: Africa
AECOM SA
[email protected]

Surita Madsen-Leibold Pr Eng, M Eng

Start of the project Executive: Pavement Engineering
Civil Infrastructure: Africa
AECOM SA
Project team [email protected]

Client representatives (Western Cape Government

M Booley and LH Mostert 
Department of Transport & Public Works Roads Branch)
Frans Kokot Pr Eng, MSc Eng
Project Manager (AECOM) S Madsen-Leibold Sub-Sector Lead: Highways
Civil Infrastructure: Africa
Contracts Engineers A Maravelias and L Lamprecht
AECOM SA
Resident Engineers J Beneke and L Joubert [email protected]

terms of reference and ending at km 23.09 at the intersection Background

AECOM SA was appointed by the with the R46 near Hermon. The MR 23, which forms part of the first
Western Cape Government (WCG), The second section is located on the section, was last resealed in 2007 by ap-
Department of Transport and Public TR23/2 between Hermon and Gouda. plying a Cape Seal.
Works: Roads Branch, to provide con- This section starts at km 0 at the intersec- The TR23/2, which forms part of the
sulting engineering services for the reseal tion with the R45 near Hermon and ends second section, was constructed in 1967
of Main Road 23 and Trunk Road 23 at km 17.63 at the intersection with the with various interventions following in
Section 2 located in the Cape Winelands TR23/2 near Gouda. various stages. The first reseal occurred in
District Municipality (DM) between
Wellington and Gouda. MR23 at km 12.8 south-facing
The consulting engineering services during construction
provided by AECOM included road pave-
ment investigation, detail design, contract
documentation, tender evaluation and
monitoring of construction.

Project Description

Location
The project is located within the Cape
Winelands District Municipality’s
boundary and consists of two sections:
The first section is located on the
MR23 between Wellington and Hermon,
starting at km 2.62 outside Wellington

Civil Engineering  September 2020 15

 road marking manual and SARTSM were
replaced.
Several small, bore culverts were
replaced. This also included structural
improvements to various bridges
and culverts.
In addition to roadworks incorporating
resealing the road, other appurtenant
works, such as road markings, road signs,
guardrails and fencing, were also com-
pleted along the TR23/2 and MR23.

CONTRACT Details
Applying the seal The main contractor was Amandla
Umzali Joint Venture.
1983 by means of a 13 mm single seal. In For the section on the TR23/2, The final contract value of the work
1996 a 6.7 mm single seal was completed, 1.5 m wide shoulders were added prior was R 83 656 795.
and the following year (1997) a 13 mm to applying the reseal with an NCRT The overall construction period was
bitumen rubber single seal was applied. triple seal. The triple seal (or split seal) 16 months – the contract was successfully
comprises one layer of 20 mm and two completed within the 16-month contract
Scope of the works layers of 7 mm aggregate (Grade 1), with period with no penalties being imple-
The scope of works included: an NCRT modified binder tack coat and a mented for late completion.
QQ Pre-treatment Class S-E1 penetration coat.
QQ The actual resealing Four existing stop areas along the Technical Information
QQ Constructing new surfaced shoulders TR23/2 were closed, with danger plates at
on the TR23/2 to widen the total 3 m spacing. Roadworks
surfaced width of the road, repairing Five accesses were upgraded on the
shoulders and upgrading accesses TR23/2 to asphalt surfacing and the re- Accommodation of traffic
QQ Any other remedial works required by maining were reshaped and re-gravelled. Accommodation of traffic during the im-
the client, including the clearing and Four surfaced accesses were resurfaced plementation and operations stages were
repairing of stormwater structures. with Cape seal. generally well executed for the duration
Pre-treatment of the existing road surface Thirty-seven accesses on the of the construction period. Flagmen and
included patch repairs, crack sealing and TR23 were resurfaced with Cape seal, Stop/Go operators were recruited locally,
rut filling. After pre-treatment of the and several edge beams were added. of which 37 participants successfully
MR23, this section was resealed with a New Damaged guardrails were replaced, completed comprehensive training prior
Crumb Rubber Technology (NCRT) double and new guardrails were added in to their deployment on site.
seal. The double seal comprises one layer dangerous areas. Road markings were Accommodation of traffic was
of 20 mm and one layer of 7 mm aggregate reinstated and existing road signs that carried out by closing off one lane of
(Grade 1), with an NCRT modified binder did not adhere to the latest edition of traffic at a time and accommodating
tack coat and a Class S-E1 penetration coat. the Western Cape government standard one-direction traffic on the other lane.
The maximum length of any single
Completed seal on one side of the road section of road allowed to be closed to
undertake half-width construction was
4 km. The number of sections under
construction at any one time was further
limited to four (usually only two), spaced
at least 3 km apart to allow normal
two-way traffic to resume between the
construction areas.

Construction strategy
The proposed construction strategy, whilst
divided into distinct phases, was deter-
mined by traffic accommodation consid-
erations which were all carried out under
a Stop-Go system. All required structural
repair and structural bridge works were
linked with the proposed construction
strategy which was broken up as follows:

16 September 2020  Civil Engineering

Table 1 Surfacing summary
Road km Surfaced Pavement
km (from) Surfacing type Comments
number (to) width structure

MR 23 2.63 23.09 11.4 NCRT double seal 20/7 mm Existing

TR23/2 0.0 0.04 13.6 Continuously graded asphalt Existing

TR23/2 0.04 0.06 15.3 Continuously graded asphalt Existing 1.5 shoulders added with 150 mm C4 base

TR23/2 0.06 17.63 10.0 NCRT triple seal 20/7/7 mm Existing

QQ MR23
QQPhase 1: Traffic was accommo-
dated on the left-hand side of the
carriageway while the right-hand
side was repaired and resealed.
QQ Phase 2: Traffic was accommo-

dated on the right-hand side of the

carriageway while the left-hand
side was repaired and resealed.
QQ TR23/2
QQ Phase 1: A linear saw cut was

applied on the surfaced road edge

(3.4 m from and parallel to the
centre line) and a cement-stabilised
base was constructed on the
left-hand side of the road, 1.5 m
wide, followed by a temporary
seal 1 500 mm wide. Traffic was
accommodated on the right-hand Importing new G5 for shoulder construction
side of the existing carriageway.
QQ Phase 2: Traffic was accom- Five existing accesses were upgraded Koopmans River – B4422A
modated on the left-hand side on the TR23/2 and surfaced with asphalt, Concrete work – minor cracks in the
while constructing the 1.5 m wide while four existing surfaced accesses were substructure were sealed and the major
shoulder on the right-hand side, resurfaced with a Cape seal. The re- cracks were stitched. Where visible,
followed by repairing the existing maining gravel accesses received concrete spalling and honeycombing were repaired.
surface, and resealing. edge beams.
QQ Phase 3: Traffic was accom- Voëlvlei Irrigation Canal 2 – C10593
modated on the right-hand side of Structures The walls of the canal were coated with
the carriageway while the existing erosion protection compound and some
surface of the left-hand side was Voëlvlei Irrigation Canal 1 – B9009 spalling was repaired.
repaired and resealed. Traffic was accommodated with a 24/7
The surfacing summary in Table 1 Stop/Go control over this section and the Culvert 10592
shows the surfacing types implemented bridge was upgraded in half widths. The Minor cracks were sealed, and major
throughout the contract. existing surfacing and fill were milled out cracks were stitched, while one of
and replaced with a BTB base and asphalt the wingwalls received concrete
Layerworks wearing course. The existing bridge joints underpinning.
For section TR23/2, 1.5 m wide surfaced were replaced with thorma joints, and
shoulders were added by excavating the guardrails and fencing were replaced. Services
150 mm of shoulder material and re- A waterpipe alongside the bridge was
placing with a mixture of 50% imported temporarily deviated and supported while Stormwater
commercial G4 material with the exca- the bridge was being upgraded. After Stormwater culverts were cleaned and
vated material and stabilising with 1.5% completion it was hung from the bridge where cracks in headwalls and wingwalls
cement to form a C4 base. with steel brackets. occurred, these were repaired. Gravel side
Concrete work – crack injection and drains on the TR23 were cleaned. Some
Accesses stitching were done on the substructure farm access drainage pipes were relayed,
Existing surfaced accesses (37) were which was protected while coating was and some received concrete slabs. At
resurfaced with a Cape seal. The re- being applied on the surface. km 17.32 on the TR23 a silted-up 600 mm
maining gravel accesses received concrete The parapets were demolished and pipe culvert was replaced with 900 × 600
edge beams. replaced. box culverts.

Civil Engineering  September 2020 17

 Deck reinforcing and shuttering Deck parapet and
ready to receive concrete end block

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT split into smaller packages of around QQ Siyabonwa Logistics (Pty) Ltd
R1 000 000. (Brackenfell)
Preferential procurement Emerging contractors received QQ Centremark (Blackheath)
The objectives of the government’s broad- continuous mentoring with regard to ten- QQ CK Security and Cleaning (Hillview)
based black economic empowerment dering, entering into a contract, planning, QQ CK Civils Contractors (Citrusdal)
(B-BBEE) programme to extend economic execution of the work, supervising labour, QQ Londozi Construction (Pty) Ltd
opportunities and entrepreneurial calculation of quantities and payment (Somerset West)
capacity to relevant communities in the certificates, as well as acceptance of the QQ Khenzani Rail Sevices (Kuilsrivier)
vicinity of the project were fulfilled by work and quality control. QQ Cleophas Construction (Atlantis)
the contractor. Key construction capabili- The ten target enterprises (B-BBEE QQ Justin’s Grass Cutters (Wellington)
ties were gained by the local population and emerging contractors) listed below The work carried out by the targeted
during the execution of the project, and benefited by taking part in the project. enterprises included concrete works,
the maximum amount of project funds These enterprises carried out work to the erection of guardrails and structural
were retained within the project locality. value of R 19.9 million: repairs.
To allow smaller contractors to QQ Amanla Asphalt (Brackenfell) The procurement and mentoring pro-
qualify, the works packages were QQ Western Cape Signs (Durbanville) cess of emerging contractors was a great
success, as all the contractors made a
valuable contribution and improved their
capabilities and experience.

Labour creation
The local labour utilisation amounted to
18 458 labour days, while 143 work op-
portunities were created.
The sourcing of local labour was
coordinated by the Community
Liaison Officer, resulting in a total of
R5 974 260.88 being injected into the
local communities through the payment
of labour wages, while also providing
valuable work opportunities within these
communities.

Training
Engineering skills training was given to
the temporarily employed local labourers
through the contract. The full-time
Community Liaison Officer, who was
appointed from the local community,
Stormwater culvert conducted needs surveys amongst the
outlet under construction labourers to identify the training that they

18 September 2020  Civil Engineering

 required, whilst also taking note of the with a “safety moment” highlighting
suitability of such training to complement pertinent safety issues.
the contractor’s requirements.
Workers were trained in engineering Traffic safety
skills such as traffic accommodation, The contractor appointed a full-time
forklift handling and roller-compaction. Traffic Safety Officer whose duty was to
The total amount spent on training manage all the traffic accommodation
courses was R72 110.00, and R112 200.00 teams on site. These teams were respon-
wages were paid as stipends during the sible for the accommodation of traffic,
course of the training. erecting and cleaning signs and ensuring
that all the traffic accommodation meas-
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY ures were implemented correctly and that
the signs were kept neatly on site. It was
Worksite safety noted that the team functioned effectively
A culture of safety was established on and ensured safe accommodation of traffic
site. Regular safety meetings and toolbox throughout the construction period.
talks were held with the contractor’s
site staff. All workers were issued with ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
personal protection equipment, such An Environmental Control Officer was
as reflective overalls or vests, safety appointed at the start of construction to
boots, gloves, ear protection, eye protec- carry out monthly environmental audits of
tion and aprons for the welders when the site. These audit reports were discussed
required. Construction medicals were during site meetings, and findings were
provided for all personnel. All construc- rapidly addressed and closed out, to the
tion vehicles were properly marked and extent that no environmental complaints
had amber flashing lights and reverse were received from landowners or the
hooters. All site meetings started off travelling public.  Local labour busy with the seal process

Civil Engineering  September 2020 19

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Roads infrastructure for the
iconic Mall of Thembisa
OVERVIEW Aluminium Road
The double-level Mall of Thembisa,
developed by McCormick Property
Development, is nearing completion, with
an expected opening date in November
2020. The Mall of Thembisa is located on
greenfield land south of Olifantsfontein
60 90
Road (R562), with the Kaalspruit creating
the eastern boundary of the property,
between the townships of Tembisa
and Clayville. This 45 000 m² gross
leasable area (GLA) regional shopping

120
60

centre is situated in the under-serviced

R562 (K27)

R562 (K27)
120 90

northwestern quadrant of Tembisa in

60
Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality,
Gauteng. The Mall is part of a mixed-use
120

90
development project being undertaken
in conjunction with KJA Developments
(specialists in low-cost housing) and com-
prises commercial, retail and high-density 90
residential components.
SCIP Engineering Group were
appointed as the civil and structural engi-
neers for the project, being responsible for
all road, stormwater and geometric designs.
Techworld Consulting Engineers as- Site Access Road
N
sisted with the configuration of the traffic
circles and the intersection layout, in Olifantsfontein Drive R562 (K27): Aluminium Drive extension schematic
particular the design of the signals of the
main intersection at Aluminium Drive,
while pavement specialists Leo Consult
conducted a condition assessment of the
R562 (K27)
R562 (K27)

existing Olifantsfontein Road surface.

90

Bulk earthworks commenced in April

2019, piling started in June 2019 and the
120

90

main building contractor began with

foundation excavations during July 2019.
Due to the COVID-19 shutdown, road
construction only started in May 2020. 60

ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE
Philip Booyens, Director of SCIP
Engineering Group (Pty) Ltd, explains
the road infrastructure requirements for
the Mall of Thembisa: “The development
comprises two Gautrans provincial inter- N New Road Link
sections for access from Olifantsfontein
Road (R562 and the planned K27), Olifantsfontein Drive R562 (K27): New partial access schematic

20 September 2020  Civil Engineering

consisting of the extension of Aluminium
Drive as a full signalised intersection
and new partial access. The 550 m
lengthening of Aluminium Drive starts
as a divided four-lane road narrowing
to a two-lane road with 35 m diameter
traffic circles. Furthermore, a 700 m
two-lane ring road must be constructed to
connect the new partial intersection with
Aluminium Drive. Pedestrian movement
will be accommodated by the construc-
tion of various paved sidewalks that link
up with the new taxi and bus loading
zones on Olifantsfontein Road. The devel-
opment also includes the construction of
a new taxi rank.”
Olifantsfontein Road is a major
mobility link that served on average Dolomite was one of the biggest challenges
around 35 000 vehicles per day in 2019 on the project, resulting in substantial hard
(pre-COVID), while the intersection rock excavation during all stages of construction
with Aluminium Drive (currently
a T-junction) served approximately
40 000 vehicles per day (the maximum
throughput of a large at-grade intersec-
tion is about 70 000 vehicles per day).
The Mall of Thembisa, after its opening,
is expected to generate around 15 000 ad-
ditional vehicle trips per day. Therefore,
the intersection between Olifantsfontein
Road and Aluminium Drive will be
upgraded to ten approach lanes (a six/
four-lanes split) on Olifantsfontein Road,
and seven approach lanes (a four/three-
lanes split) on Aluminium Drive. This
is required to serve the expected vehicle
and pedestrian traffic. This intersection
is a typical example of a large urban

The crushing of hard rock on site was

financially and environmentally viable

Civil Engineering  September 2020 21

 Fact box

Gautrans intersection
QQ 40 mm asphalt = 19 300 m²
QQ 7 × layers of 150 mm each
QQ paint markings = 2.5 km total

QQ cement in layer works = 160 000 kg  

Ring road
QQ maximum road width = 26 m 
QQ asphalt = 17 000 m²
QQ 4 × layers of 150 mm each

QQ kerbing = 4 km

QQ cement in layer works = 158 000 kg

Design decisions for Aluminium Drive,

Aerial view showing the ring road ring road, and parking area
under construction; note the stock
QQ road category – UB
piles of crushed material ready for use QQ pavement class – ES03
QQ UCS @ 100% MOD AAHSTO = >2 MPa

Work in progess on one of the approach routes QQ ITS @ 100% MOD AAHSTO = >250

that will be serving the Mall of Thembisa QQ CBR @ 98% = >80

Layerworks parking area

QQ surface 25 mm asphalt
QQ base 150 mm blended material (50/50 G6
and in-situ) stabilised with Soiltek MK III**
@ 1.5 l/m² and compacted to 97% MOD
AASHTO
QQ selected layer 150 mm G6 compacted to

95% MOD AAHSTO

QQ roadbed 150 mm in-situ roadbed G7, rip

and re-compacted to 93% MOD AAHSTO

CBR >7%

**SoilTech Mk III Stabiliser

QQ cross-linking polymers
QQ long-chain polymers
QQ Nano-polymerisation

QQ CBR strengths >200 after 28 days

QQ excellent elastic modulus

QQ polymer migration from base-layer into

sub-base

Aluminium Road and ring road layer works

QQ surface: 30 mm and 25 mm asphalt
respectively
QQ base: 150 mm G2 compacted to 88%

apparent density
QQ sub-base: 150 mm C4 compacted to 97%
Construction of a traffic circle
and kerbing in process MOD AAHSTO
QQ Selected layer: 150 mm G6 compacted to

95% MOD AAHSTO

QQ roadbed: 150 mm in-situ roadbed G7 rip

and re-compacted to 93% MOD AAHSTO

CBR >7%

intersection controlled by traffic signals

that necessitate a long cycle length (90
seconds during peak hours) to accom-
modate all the signal stages that are
required (five vehicle stages and four
pedestrian stages).

DOLOMITE AND HARD

ROCK EXCAVATION
The project site is underlain by dolomite.
Dolomite assessments were undertaken in

22 September 2020  Civil Engineering

accordance with SANS 1936:2012, and all
civil service designs were done in terms
of the recommendations emanating from
these assessments.
Booyens says that the intermittent
underlying hard rock dolomite was one of
the biggest challenges on the project, re-
sulting in substantial hard rock excavation
during all stages of construction.
The civil contractor, Labucon
Resources, in consultation with the
project team, found a solution to curtail
the financial and environmental effects
emanating from the large quantities of
hard rock excavation. Labucon Resources
owns a crushing and screening plant, so
the final solution was to crush and screen
the hard rock on-site resulting in:
QQ no need to spoil the excavated hard
rock material Aerial view of the Mall of Thembisa
QQ an opportunity to obtain G2, G6/7 and site showing the extent of the project
dump rock material from the crushing
and screening operation In addition to curtailing the cost of QQ reduction of transport emissions
QQ the crushing of rock on site, thereby removing the hard rock and subsequently (required for the spoil of the hard
reducing the amount of material to be importing suitable fill material, the envi- rock and the import of suitable fill
imported. ronmental benefits of this move included: material)
QQ ensuring landfill availability (large

Project team
volumes of hard rock being spoiled
could result in the surrounding landfill
Client McCormick Property Development
sites reaching capacity faster)
Architects MDS Architecture QQ the continued availability of local

Civil engineers SCIP Engineering Group building material quarries (which

may otherwise have been depleted
Traffic specialists Techworld Consulting Engineers, EDS Transportation Engineers
faster).
Pavement specialist Leo Consulting

Structural engineers SCIP Engineering Group, KLS Consulting Engineers, De Villiers Consult LAST WORD
Booyens sums up: “We did a cut-to-spoil,
Electrical engineers KKA Consulting Engineers
on the bulk earthworks, in the order
Quantity surveyors Quanticost of 170 000 m³. The import to fill was
Civil contractor Labucon Resources around 90 000 m³. We removed about
60 000 m³ of hard rock and are going to
Building contractor Mike Buyskes Construction
place 60 000 m² of pre-mix, and that is
excluding the provincial intersections.
Layerworks for road construction “This is a massive project which
to serve the Mall of Thembisa could easily be underestimated when you
view it on plan. The roads infrastructure
comprises municipal roads and two pro-
vincial intersections, the size of the main
intersection being very significant. The
double-level mall will be bringing retail
to a previously neglected area, and this
is important for the communities in the
surrounding areas.”

Info
Debbie Besseling (Idube Media)
For: SCIP Engineering Group (Pty) Ltd
+27 84 371 7190
[email protected]

Civil Engineering  September 2020 23

Intersection Traffic Engineering:
Part 4 (Capacity of Traffic Signals)
This is the fourth in a series of articles dealing with the practical design of intersections. The set considers every
aspect of traffic engineering that affects intersection control devices, including daily traffic volume patterns,
safety, capacity, delay, queues and levels of service. The first article in this series appeared in the October 2019
edition of Civil Engineering (pp 49–55) and discussed the basics of intersection control devices and traffic stages.
The second article (November 2019 pp 26–29) dealt with traffic patterns and traffic counts. The third article (May
2020 pp 28–33) considered the capacity of priority control devices. This fourth article explains the capacity of
signalised intersections.

Table 1 Previous studies’ saturation flow rates

Dr John Sampson Pr Eng FSAAE FSAICE
Consultant Study Country Mean veh/hr/lane
TTTAfrica
[email protected] Kimber et al UK 2 080

H E L Athens Greece 1 972

Hussain Malaysia 1 945

CAPACITY CONSIDERATIONS
Traffic signal capacity is nominally Bonneson et al USA (Texas) 1 905
expressed as follows: Webster & Cobbe UK 1 800

⎫g ⎫
C=S*⎪ ⎪
Branston UK 1 778

⎭c ⎭ Miller Australia 1 710

De Andrade Brazil 1 660

Where: S is the saturation flow, g is the
green time and c is the cycle time. Shoukry & Huizayyin Egypt 1 617

Coeyman & Meely Chile 1 603

However, the calculation of capacity of
Bhattacharya & Bhattacharya India 1 232
traffic signals must also be adjusted for
geometric considerations (e.g. grade,
number and width of lanes, turning pen- In a paper titled Saturation Flow rate of 2 000 vehicles per hour per lane in
alties), opposing vehicular and pedestrian Rates the studies as listed in Table 1 were these conditions.
flows, start-up lost time and inter-green quoted (Bester & Meyers 2007). In towns drivers are generally more
overruns. Vehicle composition, including As part of the Bester and Meyers relaxed and take longer to take a gap.
heavy vehicles and buses, are accounted study, roads in the Western Cape were They also follow less closely. In towns,
for using the effective volume (or evu, also measured. The minimum flow therefore, 1 800 vehicles per hour per
i.e. equivalent vehicle units) calculations rate for straight-through movements lane is suggested as a more appropriate
described in the November 2019 article. measured was 1 553, with a maximum saturation flow to use (with all gap ac-
The derivation of each of the remainder of 2 605 veh/‌hr/lane. A base rate ca- ceptance and headway adjustments made
of these components is described below. pacity in a 60 km/h speed limit zone of accordingly). This saturation flow rate
2 076 veh/‌hr was suggested as the best of 1 800 veh/hr is commonly used in
SATURATION FLOW RATE fit, with a right-turn saturation flow rate traffic studies.
The recommended saturation flow rate of between 1 840 and 1 920 veh/hr/lane In villages and rural areas a further
value for an “infinite” queue of light vehi- (Bester & Meyers 2007). adjustment to 1 600 vehicles per hour per
cles flowing freely in a single lane in ideal In most cities and metropolitan areas lane could be applied.
conditions on a flat grade proceeding in South Africa, drivers are aggressive, These adjustments are, however, esti-
straight ahead is 2 000 vehicles per hour, follow closely, take small gaps and gener- mates by the author based on the Bester
although higher and lower flow rates have ally maximise capacity. The saturation and Meyers (2007) research, as well as on
been measured on occasions. flow is expected to easily reach a flow his own research (Sampson 1992; 2016).

24 September 2020  Civil Engineering

 inter-green period. Traditionally this is ac-
Starting delay Stopping delay counted for by allowing two right-turners
interval Saturation flow period interval per cycle. In AutoJ (Sampson 2016) this is
refined by considering the storage space
within the intersection for right-turners.
Rate of discharge 

Wider and multi-lane intersections allow

more vehicles to store and turn during
inter-green. The formula used is:

⎫W ⎫
Ni = ⎪ + 1⎪ * nc * nl
⎭ 15 ⎭

Time  Where: Ni is the number of vehicles

Red Green Yellow
turning during the inter-green, W is the
full intersection width, nc is the number of
cycles per hour (3 600 / cycle time) and nl
Figure 1 D
 ischarge flow pattern across the stop line of a traffic signal illustrating start and is the number of lanes.
stop delays
This works out to be 2 veh/lane/cycle if
TURN CAUTION RIGHT TURNS IN GAPS AT SIGNALS the intersection width is 15 m. A 30 m
The saturation flow rate is reduced by In gap-acceptance situations, the wide intersection would provide for 3 veh/
5% due to increased headways caused by saturation flow of right-turners is severely lane/cycle turning on the inter-green, etc.
slowing down and caution while turning affected by opposing vehicular and
left or right in a single lane. Turning satu- pedestrian traffic. The effect is worsened at EFFECTIVE GREEN TIME
ration flow is therefore 2 000 * 0.95 = 1 900 traffic signals, because the opposing traffic The saturation flow is for a 100% green
vehicles per hour. is concentrated to only being able to pro- situation. The actual capacity is calculated
ceed when the traffic signal is green. Hence by multiplying the saturation flow by the
GRADE the equivalent opposing flow rate is much effective green-to-cycle-time ratio.
For each 1% up-grade, the saturation flow higher than it would be without a signal. When a traffic signal turns green there
is reduced by 1% and for each 1% down- To equate for this, the effective is start-up lost time before the saturation
grade, the saturation flow is increased by opposing volume must be increased by flow rate is reached, while at the end
1%, as per the Highway Capacity Manual dividing by the green-to-cycle-time ratio. of the green phase there is inter-green
(TRB 2000). The saturation flow for right-turning overrun time gained where some vehicles
vehicles taking gaps can then be calcu- continue to flow on the yellow signal
PEDESTRIAN INTERFERENCE lated by using the same gap acceptance (Figure 1 refers). In most studies, in-
On the steady green disc traffic light formulae as described for free flow priority cluding this study, the starting delay and
indication, turning vehicles must yield to intersections (see the May 2020 article). the stopping delay are considered equal,
pedestrians using the crossing. As the ef- Therefore, the saturation flow rate of and hence the effective green time exactly
fect of a pedestrian is much the same as an right-turners taking gaps can only be de- equals the actual green time.
opposing vehicle in these circumstances, termined when the green time is known.
the number of opposing pedestrians is However, the green time allocated to each NEXT ARTICLE
added to the number of opposing vehicles movement depends on the movement’s The next article in this series will consider
for purposes of calculating turning-­vehicle capacity and that capacity is not known delays and queues at intersections. 
capacity. Straight-through vehicles, and until the green time is calculated. Hence
vehicles using a flashing green arrow, are an initial estimate of the green-to-cycle REFERENCES
however not affected by pedestrians as ratio for two-, three- and four-stage Bester, C J & Meyers, W L 2007. Saturation
they have exclusive right of way. signals is required. Flow Rates. Proceedings, 26th Southern
This is done in AutoJ (Sampson 2016) African Transport Conference, Pretoria.
PEDESTRIAN CAPACITY using the planning method described in Sampson, J D 1992. Warrants for Traffic
The saturation flow rate of 4 800 pedes- the US Department of Transportation Signals. PhD Thesis, University of the
trians per hour per metre crossing width is Traffic Control Systems Handbook of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.
converted to capacity by multiplying by the June 1976, where the volume per straight Sampson, J D 2016. AutoJ 1608, Technical
pedestrian green-man time divided by the and left-turn lane is taken at unity, but the Manual, and repeated in SARF (South
cycle time, per metre of crosswalk (most volume in a right-turn lane is doubled for African Road Federation) Optimising
pedestrian crosswalks are 3 m wide). If pe- signal-timing purposes. Intersections Course Notes, Sandton,
destrian heads are not present, these values Johannesburg. August.
are nevertheless set to what the green-man RIGHT TURNS DURING INTER-GREEN TRB (Transportation Research Board)
time would be, i.e. the stage length less the In addition to taking gaps, right-turning 2000. Highway Capacity Manual,
pedestrian clearance time. vehicles can also clear during the Washington DC.

Civil Engineering  September 2020 25

A rescue plan for South Africa’s
provincial road network
roads is illustrated by a CSIR study which THE ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE STRATEGIC
Dr Malcolm Mitchell Pr Eng
SAICE Senior Fellow
showed that by the year 2000 the figure FRAMEWORK FOR SOUTH AFRICA
Mitchell Consultancy for provincial roads which fell into a “poor In an attempt to address many of the
[email protected] plus very poor” condition stood at 38%. issues preventing roads, especially
By 2008 nearly 60% of provincial roads provincial and municipal roads, from suc-
fell into a “poor plus very poor” condition cessfully playing their role as a catalyst for
WHY IS A RESCUE PLAN NEEDED? – not a desirable situation! Also, in 1988 economic development in the country, the
Decades ago, a World Bank publication some 70% of the provincial road network Department of Transport in the late 1990s
stated: “Roads are big business and as was in a “good” or “very good” condi- embarked on a project to develop a road
such deserve to be properly managed.” tion. By 2008 this figure had dropped to infrastructure strategic framework for
The proclaimed provincial road network only 15%. South Africa (RISFSA). This project was
in South Africa of some 175 000 km Substantiating this decline in condi- undertaken by very experienced profes-
in extent comprises 83% of the total tion is a study carried out in 2006 by sional road engineers, each of whom had
inter-city road network. As such it plays a the South African Institution of Civil at the time at least 40 years’ experience in
significant role in the social and economic Engineering (SAICE) (SAICE 2006) the roads sector.
development of the country through which stated that the major part of the The first draft of this document was
the provision of mobility of travel and provincial road network was at “risk of produced in 2002 and subjected to wide
deserves good management! failure and/or unfit for purpose”. By 2017 discussion, including at a meeting attended
In earlier decades the country’s the same body reported that apart from by executive and political representatives
secondary and tertiary provincial road roads in the Western Cape Province, the of the nine provincial road authorities.
network was well built and maintained provincial surfaced road network as a Unfortunately, for the roads sector, many
in a good condition. However, it is whole in the country was in a precarious of the provincial political office bearers
widely accepted that during the past two and steadily deteriorating condition. For were unhappy with the draft document,
to three decades the condition of the provincial gravel roads, which comprise because they considered its contents as
provincial road network in South Africa some 83% of the South African rural road not all politically acceptable to them. For
has undergone significant deterioration provincial network, between 40% and this reason the document was “sanitised”
in quality. This viewpoint is shared by 90% of gravel roads, depending on the and issued in a revised form in 2006. The
both the general public and experienced province concerned, were rated as “unfit revised document painted the provincial
road engineers. for purpose” (SAICE 2017). roads authorities in a more favourable light.
A universally accepted criterion for It is thus patently obvious that during It is suggested that this political interven-
road condition is that not more than 10% recent times the provincial road network tion was a major lost opportunity in
of a country’s road network should fall in South Africa has been steadily dete- addressing the then discernible problems
into the “poor” plus “very poor” riding riorating. What makes the problem more in respect of provincial roads.
quality category. A survey carried out acute is that provincial roads constitute Recommendations made in the
on behalf of the Automobile Association by far the major part of South Africa’s original draft document would have
revealed that in 1988 only 7% of the intercity road network. What is the reason appreciably contributed towards an
South African provincial road network for this situation? This article attempts to improvement in the condition of the pro-
fell into this category. Provincial roads answer this question and to suggest ways vincial road network, but unfortunately
were in a very good condition. However, to restore the provincial road network to most were not implemented. Because of
the decline in the condition of provincial an acceptable condition. space restrictions only two of the most
important ones are mentioned below.
In an attempt to address many of the issues preventing roads, especially
Recommendation:
provincial and municipal roads, from successfully playing their role as Institutional arrangements for the
a catalyst for economic development in the country, the Department delivery of the provincial road network
Efficient road delivery is to a large extent
of Transport in the late 1990s embarked on a project to develop a dependent on appropriate institutional
road infrastructure strategic framework for South Africa (RISFSA). structures. There has been a worldwide

26 September 2020  Civil Engineering

shift in focus from the traditional public The severe lack of professional engineering capacity in the provincial road
service delivery approaches to more in-
novative means which are considered to authorities is frightening for the future of the provincial road network. Whilst
be more effective, cost-efficient, customer-
orientated, business-like and flexible. They
it is possible to allocate some of the more routine design and construction,
all emphasise a comprehensive strength- including maintenance “engineering”, to the private sector, both short- and
ening of expertise and discipline, as well as
internal incentives to improve governance. long-term strategic planning should be carried out within the roads authority.
One of the options available to government
to effect improvements in service delivery authorities have struggled during the decisions relating to engineering
is the creation of public enterprises or past three decade or so to keep pace with departments for which they are not
government agencies. This option involves the demands for delivery, and especially qualified and/or have no experience.
the setting up of enterprises at arms’ length maintenance, of their road networks. (p 199)
from the public service to deliver specific Figures provided by the National QQ Political appointees have taken over
services, such as roads, on commercial Department of Transport regarding the the roles of technical and assistant
principles. They normally act under direct post occupancy in provincial roads de- technical managers, based on the
control of a board, and with their own partments are depressing. This situation belief that anyone with management
enabling legislation. is exacerbated by the fact that many of the qualifications or experience can
SANRAL (South African National professional posts are filled by persons manage anything. This is proving to be
Roads Agency) is such a body which has without adequate roads experience and a major problem, as civil engineering
successfully managed primary (national) who are not registered professional infrastructure is complex and requires
roads throughout the country for two engineers. a thorough understanding of not
decades. One of the key prerequisites for This viewpoint was endorsed some only financial and social issues, but
such bodies is good governance. This has years back in a SAICE publication technical issues before decisions can be
generally been understood to encompass (Lawless 2005) which examined the im- taken. (p 199)
authority, stewardship, leadership, direc- balances in the civil engineering profes- The RISFSA document gave the skills
tion and control. This should lead to sion in the country. Some quotes from the profile of provincial roads-related human
maximising service delivery subject to publication germane to the problem of the capital in the provincial roads authorities
financial resources and legal obligations. appalling condition of the provincial road for the year 2001. The document states
Some authorities cite the characteristics network are as follows: that only 1.1% of personnel employed
of good governance as: discipline, trans- QQ After the 2000 floods, six months were engineering professionals and 5.2%
parency, independence from political and elapsed before major repairs took were technicians. This is compared with
other forces, accountability, responsibility, place on affected provincial roads. 8.1% of personnel being “clerks” and 47.7%
fairness and social responsibility. It is Frustrated staff said that previously comprising “elementary occupations”. This
arguable that most of these characteristics senior engineers would simply have situation has not improved during the past
have been missing from provincial road ordered the maintenance crews to re- nearly two decades. Engineering skills
authorities in recent times. prioritise and relocate to the problem within the provincial road authorities,
For these and other reasons, such as areas immediately after the rain had particularly civil engineering skills, are
the proliferation of provinces after 1994 stopped, and roads would have been vitally important for effective and efficient
from the previous four to the new nine repaired within weeks if not days. The delivery of the provincial road network.
which diluted the available but limited inability to take prompt decisions in The severe lack of professional engi-
professional road engineering competence this case caused enormous hardship neering capacity in the provincial road
in the country, the original RISFSA docu- and additional damage. (p 69) authorities is frightening for the future of
ment suggested that the surfaced 40 000 QQ Strategic planning is lacking in infra- the provincial road network. Whilst it is
km provincial road network be provided structure delivery. Where proposals possible to allocate some of the more rou-
through a roads agency at arms’ length are made, those in senior positions are tine design and construction, including
from government. Gravel provincial roads frequently not sufficiently skilled to maintenance “engineering”, to the private
would remain with the provinces. This make decisions about the viability of sector, both short- and long-term strategic
was, however, not politically acceptable projects. As a result, many key projects planning should be carried out within the
to the provincial politicians and was re- are simply not happening, and this is roads authority.
jected. A lost opportunity which contrib- impacting severely on the country’s
uted to the progressive downward slide of economy. (p 197) A REJUVENATION STRATEGY
the provincial road network continuing! QQ The lack of strategic direction, Whilst there has been much talk, political
decision-making and development in promises and media pronouncements on
Recommendation: transport infrastructure … [is] costing the problem, not much improvement has
Development of human capital and capacity the country billions of rand per annum. been seen to date. In the author’s opinion
within the provincial road authorities (p 197) the primary issues which need to be ad-
Without adequate professional QQ [One of the inhibitors to recovery dressed to arrest the downward slide are
engineering capacity, provincial road includes] non-technical leaders making the following:

Civil Engineering  September 2020 27

QQ Inappropriate institutional To date, some 20 years later, these recom- recognise that the management of road
arrangements mendations appear to have been ignored. financing rests on three legs:
QQ Lack of experienced professional QQ Proper determination of the optimal
capacity in road authorities Political involvement in road quantum of road funds required
QQ Political interference in the manage- network management QQ Determination of the appropriate
ment of the road network It is suggested that political involvement source of road funds
QQ Inability of road authorities to in the management of provincial roads QQ Efficient use of the available funds.
adequately implement maintenance in South Africa is often misdirected, and Very often the funding levels requested
activities very often provincial roads programmes by provincial road authorities are nothing
QQ Ineffective use of limited financial are dictated more strongly by political im- more than “wish lists” and are not based
resources. peratives than by real traffic needs. There on realistic integration of physical and fi-
The question which needs to be asked, has been much evidence in the media nancial planning. The last fully integrated
however, is whether we as a country during recent years that support this and rational “roads needs study” for the
possess the necessary political will and impression. Politicians need to be made South African road network was carried
administrative capacity to work towards aware of the difference between executive out in 1983, and the author is not aware of
rejuvenating our provincial road networks. and political functions in government. any comprehensive study since then.
If so, only some of the areas which need to In order to gain the approval of the
be addressed include the following: Implementation of maintenance needs fiscal authorities for increased funding it
Road maintenance is a fundamentally is necessary to make a strong case in the
Institutional arrangements different process from building new roads. face of the many competing demands for
Road infrastructure management in South Construction activity usually involves state funds – some of which have more
Africa is fragmented between various projects with a defined start and finish; emotional impact than others. During the
authorities, and in some instances road conversely maintenance is continuous. past period of time, and led by SANRAL,
network operations are institutionally Whereas design and construction are there has been a move to a more rational
separated from road infrastructure provi- dominated by engineering issues, main- approach to the determination of the
sion. Added to this South Africa probably tenance is essentially an integrated engi- financial needs for road pavement reha-
has the most highly fragmented and neering management problem. In many bilitation. However, there does not appear
dispersed arrangement for the provision of countries in Africa it has proved very dif- to be much evidence towards determining
roads in the world, where all three levels of ficult for road maintenance to be carried overall optimisation of the total road net-
government possess strong original powers out effectively by state authorities, and work based on real needs. It is suggested
in respect of roads. Most countries have many billions of capital assets have been that it is time for a “hard look” at the
only two levels with strong road powers. eroded according to, inter alia, World optimal inter-city road network for the
The current approach has led to many Bank reports. There is much evidence country, and how it should be provided
problems, including lack of capacity, inad- that, with perhaps one or two exceptions, and funded.
equate cohesion in planning and delivery, provincial roads authorities in South
and skills shortages, amongst others. Africa lack the ability to implement sound CONCLUSION
Borrowing from the successful and timely road maintenance activities. The provincial road network is deterio-
National Roads Agency approach for Skills need to be developed (or rating rapidly, so much so that the major
national roads it is suggested that the best imported) and attention given to areas part of it has been adjudged by SAICE as
approach towards improving the situation of deficiency, especially prioritisation of “at risk of failure and/or unfit for purpose”
regarding provincial roads would be the the work of road authorities to integrate (SAICE 2006; 2017). Without dynamic
creation of a provincial surfaced roads maintenance needs with funding re- leadership, both political and professional,
agency to manage all 40 000 kilometres of sources. The management of maintenance this situation will not be improved. 
surfaced provincial roads. operations is the cutting edge of road
maintenance, and no matter how well BIBLIOGRAPHY
Building capacity in the activities are planned, programmed or Copley, P & Mitchell, M F. Transport and
provincial roads sector prepared, unless the maintenance activi- logistics in Africa: missed opportunities,
There is compelling evidence that a ties are effectively carried out to meet future potential. Book in preparation.
significant factor contributing to the the requirements of quality, time and Lawless, A 2005. Numbers & Needs. Addressing
poor condition of much of Africa’s road budget, the product finally delivered on imbalances in the civil engineering
networks is inadequate human resource the road will not address the problem. profession. SAICE: Midrand.
capacity. The RISFSA document recom- Necessary work spans the spectrum of SAICE (South African Institution of
mended that a Roads Academy be estab- activities from regular cleaning out of Civil Engineering) 2006. SAICE 2006
lished “as a matter of urgency” to assist in drainage facilities up to major pavement Infrastructure Report Card for South
the restoration of professional capacity in ­rehabilitation work. Africa. SAICE: Midrand.
the industry, including provincial roads SAICE (South African Institution of
authorities. In addition, a recommenda- Effective use of limited financial resources Civil Engineering) 2017. SAICE 2017
tion was made to target overseas roads In the effective management of the Infrastructure Report Card for South
engineers to assist in building capacity. financing of roads, it is necessary to Africa. SAICE: Midrand.

28 September 2020  Civil Engineering

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Ballast of the future
on heavy‑haul lines
Assessing the viability of Neoballast on the Coal Line
The ballast–sleeper interface is the Neoballast (developed by COMSA in
Shunturi Govender
Civil Engineer, Rail Network
area which experiences high contact Barcelona). The aim of this new ballast is
Transnet Freight Rail stresses due to the passage of these to slow down the rate of degradation and
[email protected] trains. The high contact stresses cause settlement of the ballast layer, thereby
the sleeper to break the ballast particles, reducing the deterioration of the track
which subsequently results in ballast geometry, with a concomitant reduction
INTRODUCTION degradation, as well as wear of the in maintenance costs. Therefore, the
Ballast is a critical element of the super- sleepers. This in turn increases the rate aim of this study was to investigate the
structure of a railway, as it maintains the of track deterioration since the ballast viability of Neoballast on the Heavy-Haul
track stability. The maintenance of ballast layer’s ability to function optimally de- Coal Line in South Africa in terms of
is frequent and expensive due to its con- teriorates. Practice has shown that de- its mechanical properties, based on the
stant degradation and the subsequent loss terioration of track geometry is a major minimum required specifications for
of track geometry. This is especially true problem on heavy-haul lines, resulting in heavy-haul lines in South Africa.
for heavy-haul lines that are subjected to frequent ballast replenishment and cor-
high axle loads and, in turn, high dynamic rective maintenance to restore the track LITERATURE REVIEW
stresses that are imposed on the track. geometry, thus increasing maintenance The literature review proved very
The tracks on South Africa’s coal lines costs. Therefore, the need for innova- valuable in understanding the problems
are subjected to 26-ton axle loads and tive ways to minimise track geometry and gaining insight into current and
carry approximately 108 million tons of deterioration has become vital in recent previous research in this field. This
coal each year. With tonnages increasing years. The advantages of utilising rubber section therefore summarises the salient
yearly, the load the track is subjected to in aggregates have led to the development facts gained from the literature review
increases proportionally. of a new and innovative ballast called (these facts were all fully referenced in
the original paper and are available from
The need for innovative ways to minimise track geometry the author).

deterioration has become vital in recent years. The advantages of Importance of ballast
utilising rubber in aggregates have led to the development of a Ballast is comprised of angular coarse
material that lies below the rail and
new and innovative ballast called Neoballast. The aim of this new sleeper. The ballast layer provides a
ballast is to slow down the rate of degradation and settlement of load-bearing layer that supports the track
structure against the high dynamic forces
the ballast layer, thereby reducing the deterioration of the track exerted on it by the passage of trains, and
geometry, with a concomitant reduction in maintenance costs. when the ballast layer is subjected to high
cyclic loading it undergoes deformation
and settlement. Ballast transmits induced
This article is a shortened and lightly edited version of the paper that was presented at the
International Heavy Haul Association STS Conference held in Narvik, Norway, in June 2019, and which loads to sub-layers at reduced and ac-
was also awarded the SAICE Railway and Harbour Engineering Division 2019 John Brown Best Paper ceptable stress levels, provides lateral and
Award. Please note that, for ease of reading and in the interests of space, the references have been longitudinal resistance, and facilitates free
removed from the text. The original paper was fully referenced, so should readers be interested in
drainage conditions. Ballast furthermore
these references and/or the original paper, please contact the author directly.
assists with the alignment of the track

30 September 2020  Civil Engineering

 to it, as well as when regular maintenance
is conducted on the track by a tamping
Rail machine. Some researchers suggest that
the tamping machine is the source of
Sleeper more than 50% of fouled ballast in the
United Kingdom. Tamping, which is
conducted to correct the track geometry,
breaks some ballast particles due to the
pressure squeezing forces and vibration
Void between sleeper and ballast Crushed particles Ballast of the machine, thereby diminishing the
angularity of the ballast and increasing
Figure 1 D
 iagram showing voids beneath the sleeper due to fouled ballast the percentage of fines in the ballast layer.
When un-fouled ballast is placed in
the ballast layer, the pressure between
ballast aggregates and the sleepers helps
to provide stiffness to the track, hence
maintaining the track geometry. Once
ballast is fouled, the ballast pressure
decreases as the ballast layer settlement
increases, due to the breakage of ballast
particles. This decrease in ballast pres-
sure creates voids beneath the sleeper,
as indicated in Figure 1, and leads to
Uncoated Coated movement of the sleeper and subsequently
ballast stone ballast stone loss of track geometry. Ballast pressure
tests that have been conducted along the
Coal Line indicated that the deflection of
sleepers varied from 1 mm to 6 mm across
the line, thus indicating areas of ballast
settlement.
0.5 mm
coating Ballast is a crucial component of the
track structure; however, ballast fouling
compromises the stability of the track,
and also reduces the ballast layer’s ability
Section view to provide drainage to the track structure
due to air voids being filled with the fine
Figure 2 B
 allast coated in rubber particles, i.e. Neoballast particles of broken ballast.

by maintaining the gauge of the sleepers. strength capacity of the ballast layer, thus Ballast coated in rubber
Its angularity and material hardness causing an adverse effect on the ability Huge numbers of tyres are discarded
also enable ballast to interlock without of the ballast to perform its required into stockpiles and landfills. Tyres
crushing. These properties provide function. Replenishment costs due to consist of 90% vulcanised rubber which
optimal frictional resistance to prevent ballast breakage fouling consume a large is extremely durable and flexible and
the movement of sleepers. Ballast is also percentage of the track maintenance maintains its volume under loading.
important in facilitating maintenance of budget. On the Coal Line the ballast Research into a rubber coating for ballast
the track to correct the track geometry via fouling index is 60% and the approximate indicates that such coating increases the
a tamping machine. It is thus evident that cost of ballast replenishment R21 781 360 elasticity of ballast and mitigates its rate
the ballast layer is a critical element in the per year for a 1 055 km track. of degradation.
track structure. Figure 2 is a drawing of Neoballast,
Ballast fouling which is a new, innovative ballast aggre-
Forces applied to the ballast Ballast is considered fouled when it is gate (developed by COMSA in Barcelona)
Cyclic loading due to the passage of contaminated by accumulated fines that is coated with a thin layer of recycled
trains, as well as high impact loading smaller than 9.5 mm. There are many rubber generated from recycled tyres.
at points of discontinuity on the track, causes of ballast fouling. On the Coal Line Coating ballast with rubber aims to
causes ballast particles to break and lose the causes of ballast fouling are spillage of primarily do the following:
their angularity. The breakage of ballast coal from the passage of coal trains, mud QQ Decrease the degradation of the ballast
edges in turn leads to ballast fouling. pumping and particularly ballast degrada- layer by providing a more durable
Fouled ballast loses its interlocking prop- tion. The breakage of ballast particles is aggregate. The recycled rubber in ag-
erties which then decreases the shear caused by the high dynamic forces applied gregates acts as crush barriers and may

Civil Engineering  September 2020 31

 therefore assist in decreasing the rate Neoballast may decrease the settlement to test the viability of Neoballast on the
of ballast fouling in the ballast layer. due to cyclic loading on heavy-haul lines. heavy-haul lines in accordance with the
QQ Reduce the frequency of ballast Therefore, the frequency of having to minimum requirements for ballast on the
replenishment on the Coal Line, which conduct maintenance to correct track Coal Line as specified in the S406. The
will in turn reduce the economic and geometry will be reduced. results for the tests of Neoballast were ob-
environmental costs. tained from COMSA, who conducted these
QQ Reduce the degree of deflection of the Ballast specifications currently applicable tests in Barcelona. The tests that were
track on the Coal Line by reducing to the heavy-haul lines in South Africa done on the ballast used on the heavy-haul
settlement. On the Coal Line, ballast must comply lines were conducted at the Transnet
QQ Increase energy dissipation, due to with the South African Bureau of Laboratories, and were conducted in ac-
the rubber particles surrounding the Standards (SABS) 1083, as well as cordance with the S406. Tests done on the
ballast stone, as well as the viscosity Spoornet’s 1998 Specification 406 (S406). Coal Line ballast and the Neoballast were
of the rubber. One 2018 study indi- Table 1 shows the grading of ballast that conducted on ballast of similar grading and
cated that the vibration dampening must be complied with. material. The ballast utilised in the tests of
coefficient of the aggregate increased the Neoballast and Coal Line ballast was
with an increase in rubber content. Table 1 G
 rading of ballast on heavy-haul of grading 37.5 mm to 53 mm. Quantities
lines in South Africa (Spoornet 1998)
The energy dissipating property of of aggregate used in each of the tests were
Neoballast was confirmed by fatigue Size of sieve (mm) % by mass passing kept constant for both the Coal Line ballast
tests showing that it reduces the track 73.0 100
and the Neoballast.
stiffness by reducing the vertical
deflection of the ballast layer. This 63.0 90–100 LA Abrasion Test
property may be favourable to the 53.0 40–70 Ballast aggregate is subjected to dynamic
ballast layer, as one of the functions of loads and wear from the overlying
37.5 10–30
ballast is to transfer loads and reduce sleepers. The ballast layer must therefore
vibrations to the underlying formation 26.5 0–5 be strong enough to resist the loads ap-
layer. 19.0 0–1
plied to it that will result in degradation,
QQ Reduce noise pollution. Research in- crushing and disintegration. The LA
dicated that when the rubber content 13.2 1 Abrasion Test is used to test the ballast
in aggregates is increased, the sound aggregates’ abrasion and toughness prop-
absorption property increases and erties. The ballast aggregate that passes
hence reduces the noise. According to Spoornet (1998), the Los through the No 12 sieve size (1.70 mm) is
Coating ballast aggregate with rubber Angeles (LA) Abrasion tests shall not placed into a steel drum that contains 12
particles may therefore provide the bal- exceed 22%, and the Mill Abrasion tests steel spherical balls. The rotating drum
last layer with advantageous mechanical shall not exceed 7%, and the results from subjects the ballast to impact, grinding
properties. A static test conducted by the Water Absorption tests must not be and abrasion. After the rotation has been
a 2018 researcher indicated that there more than 1%. Furthermore, there must completed, the ballast that has remained
is a decrease in long-term settlement not be more than 5% of mass loss after on the No 12 sieve is weighed and a
of Neoballast with the settlement ratio 20 cycles when the Soundness test is percentage of abrasion loss is calculated,
per load cycle being 2.8 × 10 -6 mm/ conducted. These are the specifications using Equation 1. This value indicates the
cycle compared to 8.1 × 10 -6 mm for for ballast used on the heavy-haul lines in toughness of the ballast aggregate.

⎫M – MFinal ⎫
conventional ballast. However, this South Africa.
LA Abrasion Loss = ⎪ Original ⎪
⎭ ⎭
researcher indicated that the Neoballast
layer will have to undergo higher com- METHODOLOGY MOriginal
paction upon installation, compared to Soundness, LA Abrasion, Mill Abrasion
conventional ballast, to avoid initial high and Water Absorption tests were con- × 100 (1)
settlement. These tests were conducted ducted on the ballast used on the Coal
using a 20-ton axle load and a Neoballast Line, as well as on Neoballast. A compara- Where:
layer thickness of 300 mm. The results tive analysis was then applied to examine MOriginal = mass retained on No 12 sieve
from the tests indicated that the use of the results of these tests. This was done before the test
MFinal = mass retained on No 12 sieve
Soundness, LA Abrasion, Mill Abrasion and Water Absorption tests after the test.

were conducted on the ballast used on the Coal Line, as well as on Mill Abrasion Test
Neoballast. A comparative analysis was then applied to examine the Similar to the above mentioned LA
Abrasion Test, the Mill Abrasion Test
results of these tests. This was done to test the viability of Neoballast measures the abrasion and toughness
properties of the ballast aggregate. The
on the heavy-haul lines in accordance with the minimum
ballast particles must meet two require-
requirements for ballast on the Coal Line as specified in the S406. ments – one portion of ballast must

32 September 2020  Civil Engineering

 pass through the 37.5 mm sieve and be The ability of ballast to resist disintegration due to weathering
retained on the 26.5 mm sieve, whilst
the second portion must pass through and freeze–thaw cycles is determined by the Soundness Test. The
the 26.5 mm sieve and be retained on the
durability of ballast determines its potential to be subjected to
19 mm sieve. Both portions of ballast are
then placed in the Mill pot which rotates degradation and its potential to withstand extreme temperatures.
at 33 rotations per minute for 10 000
revolutions. The mass of the ballast that M1 = mass retained on the 9.5 mm The portions of the Na 2SO 4 solution
is retained on the 9.5 mm sieve is weighed sieve after the test that are absorbed into the ballast pores
and the mass of ballast retained on the M2 = mass retained on 0.075 mm form crystals that subsequently create
0.075 mm is weighed. The Mill Abrasion sieve after the test. internal forces within the aggregate,
value is then calculated using Equation 2. thus producing internal pressure on the
The lower the Mill abrasion value is, the Sodium Sulphate Soundness Test pores of the aggregate which will result
less prone the ballast aggregate is to deg- The ability of ballast to resist in breakage of the ballast. The durability
radation due to the loads subjected to it. disintegration due to weathering and of the ballast aggregate is measured by

⎫M – M1 – M2 ⎫
freeze–thaw cycles is determined by weighing the mass of the ballast before
Mill Abrasion Value = ⎪ Original ⎪
⎭ ⎭
the Soundness Test. The durability of and after the test. This is done using
MOriginal ballast determines its potential to be Equation 3.

⎫M – MFinal ⎫
× 100 (2) subjected to degradation and its potential
Soundness Test Loss = ⎪ Original ⎪
⎭ ⎭
to withstand extreme temperatures.
Where: The more durable the aggregate is, the MOriginal
MOriginal = mass passing through the less prone it is to degradation due to
37.5 mm sieve and retained weathering. During the Soundness Test, × 100 (3)
on the 26.5 mm sieve plus the ballast aggregate that passes through
the mass passing through the the 19 mm sieve and is retained on the Where:
26.5 mm sieve and retained on 13.2 mm sieve, is submerged in sodium MOriginal = mass passing through the
the 19 mm sieve before the test sulphate (Na 2SO 4) solution repeatedly. 19 mm sieve and retained on

Civil Engineering  September 2020 33

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 the 13.2 mm sieve before the
test 30 1.25
MFinal = mass retained on No 12 (1.70 25 1.0%
22% 1.00
mm) sieve after the test. 20
0.75

% Loss

% Loss
15
Water Absorption Test 10
0.5
Water Absorption Tests are done to 0.25
5 0.1%
measure the ballast aggregates capacity 1%
0 0
to retain water. As the water absorption
Coal Line ballast Neoballast Coal Line ballast Neoballast
of the aggregate increases, the porosity of in South Africa in South Africa
the aggregate increases. This is done by LA Abrasion Weathering
using a perforated basket and submerging
the ballast aggregate in water for over 24 Figure 3 Results from LA Abrasion Test Figure 5 Results from Soundness Test
hours. The weight of the ballast aggregate
before and after the test is measured to
calculate the density and water absorption 8 1.25
7%
property of the aggregate. 7 1.0%
1.00
6
5 0.75
% Loss

% Loss
RESULTS AND ANALYSIS 4
3 0.5
Los Angeles (LA) Abrasion Test 2
0.25
0.25%
As seen from the results of the LA 1
0%
0 0
Abrasion Test indicated in Figure 3, the
Coal Line ballast Neoballast Coal Line ballast Neoballast
Neoballast abrasion resistance is 96% in South Africa in South Africa
more than the abrasion resistance of the Mill Abrasion Water Absorption
current ballast used on the Coal Line.
This indicates that Neoballast has a Figure 4 Results from Mill Abrasion Test Figure 6 R
 esults from the Water Absorption
higher abrasion resistance compared to Test
the normal ballast. This result further Abrasion Test indicate that Neoballast
indicates that the rubber coating on is more durable and tough compared to perform better than the current ballast
Neoballast acts as a crush barrier which the current ballast used on the Coal Line. used on the Coal Line in extreme tem-
will in turn result in a reduction in fines A test conducted on Neoballast in 2016 perature fluctuations (as are experienced
produced and hence a reduction in ballast (Valentí et al) indicated that the Neoballast on the heavy-haul lines in South Africa).
fouling. A reduction in ballast fouling will aggregate maintained its angularity after According to Transnet’s ballast standards
in turn result in a low ballast settlement the test. This indicates that Neoballast for heavy-haul lines, the loss of mass from
rate per load cycle. Furthermore, the will maintain its interlocking properties the Soundness Test must not exceed 5%.
degree of track deflection (‘blind slacks’) for a longer period of time, hence the shear Since the loss of mass of Neoballast was
will be decreased. According to Transnet strength capacity of the ballast layer will be 0.1%, it may be suitable for the heavy-haul
specifications for heavy-haul lines, the optimised, thereby reducing maintenance lines with respect to weathering.
percentage loss from the LA Abrasion costs. In terms of the standards provided
Test should not exceed 22%. Thus, the by Transnet for heavy-haul lines, the loss of Water Absorption Test
results indicate that Neoballast would be mass from the Mill Abrasion test must not It can be seen from Figure 6 that the
suitable for heavy-haul lines with respect exceed 7%. Therefore, Neoballast would be current ballast on the Coal Line absorbs
to meeting the LA Abrasion parameter. suitable for heavy-haul lines in terms of the 75% more water than the Neoballast,
Mill Abrasion specification. thus indicating that the Neoballast is
Mill Abrasion Test 75% less porous than the current ballast.
As indicated by the results from the Mill Soundness Test Furthermore, this indicates that the
Abrasion Test in Figure 4, Neoballast The results from the Soundness Test in Neoballast would be able to facilitate
provides 100% better resistance compared Figure 5 indicate that Neoballast has a drainage more effectively with less likeli-
to the ballast currently used on the Coal 90% improvement in the resistance to hood of contributing to the degradation
Line. Results from the Mill Abrasion Test weathering compared to the Coal Line bal- of the ballast layer when compared to
combined with the results from the LA last. This indicates that Neoballast would the current Coal Line ballast. In terms of
specifications, the maximum allowable
According to Transnet specifications for heavy-haul lines, the percentage of water absorption for the
heavy-haul line ballast is 1%. The water
percentage loss from the LA Abrasion Test should not exceed 22%. absorption percentage for the Neoballast
was 0.5%. Therefore, the Neoballast would
Thus, the results indicate that Neoballast would be suitable for heavy-
be suitable for the Coal Line based on the
haul lines with respect to meeting the LA Abrasion parameter. required specifications.

34 September 2020  Civil Engineering

 CONCLUSIONS The results from this study indicated that the Neoballast presents 96% more
The results from this study indicated that
the Neoballast presents 96% more abrasion
abrasion resistance from the LA Abrasion Test and 100% more abrasion
resistance from the LA Abrasion Test and resistance from the Mill Abrasion Test compared to the current Coal Line
100% more abrasion resistance from the ballast. The Soundness Test indicated that Neoballast would perform
Mill Abrasion Test compared to the cur-
rent Coal Line ballast. The Soundness Test
better in extreme weather conditions compared to the current Coal Line
indicated that Neoballast would perform ballast, with Neoballast offering 90% more resistance to weathering.
better in extreme weather conditions
compared to the current Coal Line ballast, concluded that Neoballast will reduce the Neoballast and the environmental effect of
with Neoballast offering 90% more resist- rate of track geometry deterioration and Neoballast in practice.
ance to weathering. The Water Absorption in turn reduce the cost of maintenance on
Test indicated that Neoballast will provide heavy-haul lines. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
a better medium for drainage as it is 75% I would like to acknowledge Transnet
less porous than the current ballast. From FUTURE RESEARCH Freight Rail and the Vryheid depot for
the results it can be concluded that the The limitations of this research are that the allowing me to conduct this research uti-
use of Neoballast aggregate as the ballast Neoballast was not tested on a heavy-haul lising Coal Line ballast. I would also like
layer would be more durable and would line test track with applied cyclic loads to acknowledge Jeffrey Ngozo at Transnet
result in a decrease in the degradation of of 26-ton axle loading. Future studies Freight Rail’s George Goch laboratories
ballast particles and a decrease in the rate should test the mechanical properties for assisting with the conducting of the
of settlement per load cycle of the ballast of Neoballast on a railway track section tests on the current Coal Line ballast.
layer. Neoballast met all the minimum representing the Coal Line specifications of I would further like to acknowledge
required specifications for ballast on the a UIC 60 kg rail under a 26-ton axle load. Dr Nahuel Manzo Costanzo and his team
heavy-haul lines in South Africa, thus Static and Dynamic Load Tests should at COMSA in Barcelona for conducting
indicating that Neoballast would be viable also be conducted to investigate the settle­ the tests on Neoballast, as well as for
for use on the Coal Line in terms of its ment of the track. Future studies should the information they made available for
mechanical properties. It can further be also investigate the disposal methods of this study. 

Civil Engineering  September 2020 35

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City of Cape Town
[email protected]

Riaan van Biljon

Engineer Department Head
Bosun Group
[email protected]

Fernando Pequenino Pr Eng

Principal Geotechnical and Tunnel Engineer
[email protected]
Construction of a VFC wall
in Northlands, Johannesburg

INTRODUCTION at 90°. The block has a concrete bar that This article aims to highlight the
This article forms part of a series of arti- locks the geogrid into the block, forming a critical importance of the positive geogrid
cles on segmental retaining walls (SRWs), “positive connection”, as shown in Figure 1. connection, and why road agencies across
following on Mind the Gap – towards the This is unlike most blocks on the South the world, including the FHWA (Federal
elimination of open assembly configura- African market which rely on friction Highway Administration, United States)
tion in segmental retaining walls and The between blocks and grids to keep the grids and more recently SANRAL (South
Proof is in the Pulling which appeared in place and to transfer the load. African National Roads Agency Limited),
respectively in the April 2018 and April
2019 editions of Civil Engineering.
This article discusses the importance
of a positive geogrid connection and shear
nibs in SRW blocks, particularly when
there is an expectation of load transfer
from actions above the wall, such as
foundations and impact loads. Locking mechanism
Testing has demonstrated the
reduction in connection capacity due to
non-horizontal draping on high-strength
geosynthetics through a castellated block
as measured using test method ASTM
D6638. ASTM D6638 connection capacity
tests were undertaken, using most of the
geogrids available in South Africa, with
a new highly innovative and fully locally
developed block. The block is called the
Vertical Fixed Connection (VFC) block de-
veloped by Bosun and can be constructed Figure 1 VFC block with concrete locking bar illustrating the positive geogrid locking mechanism

36 September 2020  Civil Engineering

 Crest toppling failure Facing connection failure Bulging failure

Figure 2 Local stability failure mechanisms (NCMA 2012; SANS8006-1)

mandate their use for block retaining to occur, often to the detriment of the
walls supporting freeway infrastructure. reinforced SRW mass. When concrete
shear nibs are present, these first need
SRW INTERNAL FAILURE MECHANISMS to be sheared through before bulging
Tatsuoka (2020) states that small wall between grids will occur.
deformations will occur when using a stiff QQ The pullout of the geogrid out of
facing, even if using extensible geogrid the facing is governed by either the
reinforcement. This highlights the impor- frictional resistance between the block
tance of using a stiff and durable facing and the geogrid or the rupture of the
for permanent walls where displacement geogrid inside the connection if a
of the structure is of concern. He goes “positive connection” is provided.
further to state that this will result in SANS8006-1 states that the facing must
higher earth pressures acting on the be designed for “horizontal soil pressures
facing compared to flexible facings such and the corresponding reinforcement
as metallic skin facings and wrap-around tension reactions developed in the
facings. This would also be true for SRWs connection between the facing and the
using open block configurations, and in reinforcement.” This implies, when
some instances closed face frictional SRW considering the tie-back wedge method,
walls, as in many cases the front face of that the pressure on the back of the SRW
the wall (or blocks) is unconfined and units can be assumed to be triangular and
free to move significantly relative to the to increase with depth.
geogrid reinforcement. If the active zone From literature it is obvious that this
is confined by a high confining pressure triangular pressure on the SRW facing
(i.e. a stiff facing) the backfill will have with continuous geogrid reinforcement Figure 3 Geosynthetically reinforced dry
a higher strength and stiffness, and will is, however, a contentious issue. Wu beach sand after removal of trapdoor
result in smaller displacements if struc- (2001), and Soong and Koerner (1997)
tures are placed on top of the wall. derived theories that estimate the lateral tensile loads in the geogrid reinforcement
A common misconception is that pressure acting on segmental retaining at the facing.
SRW facing blocks only serves as a façade. wall blocks and assume the pressure to An experiment was done with beach
However, both SANS8006-1 and NCMA be uniform with depth. These theories sand and geogrids placed in a box with a
state that the facing does experience earth should, however, be used with caution trapdoor (Figure 3). Once the trapdoor
pressure and these could cause three according to the FHWA (2015), as they are was removed, the material fell out from
types of internal stability failures, namely based on very limited data and are highly between the geogrid layers whilst the sand
crest toppling, bulging, and pullout dependent on the reinforcement spacing, remained stable at a steeper angle than in
failure/rupture of the geogrid at the the shear strength of the soil (including the experiment without geogrids, which
facing, as shown in Figure 2. any capillary cohesion) and the stiffness of failed at the angle of repose (roughly 32°).
QQ Crest toppling/overturning of the the facing. Ketchard and Wu (2001) rec- The soil above the top geogrid fell out at
top unreinforced blocks will normally ommend a maximum spacing of geogrid the angle of repose whilst the soil towards
occur if the resultant force of the sec- of 300 mm for improved performance the bottom geogrid fell out at a much
tion of the wall above the first layer of of GRS when compared to larger-spaced steeper angle. This shows that for cohe-
geogrids acts outside the block width. geogrid walls. Other authors think earth sionless backfill materials the SRW facing
QQ The bulging of SRW units between pressure is analogous to tensile loads blocks are crucial to prevent spill-through.
geogrids is normally governed by measured at the facing divided by the Table 1 presents design considerations
the shear capacity of the inter-block vertical spacing of reinforcement, but this for vertical MSEWs (mechanically stabi-
interface or by the provision of nibs might not always be a correct assumption, lised earth walls) on highway applications
with sufficient shear capacity. For as internal fill settlement and the associ- and were assembled from numerous
frictional resistance between blocks ated down-drag forces at the connection sources, in particular those of the FHWA
to be mobilised, displacement needs with the facing might induce concentrated and other road authorities in the USA. The

Civil Engineering  September 2020 37

Table 1 Design considerations for vertical MSEW height limitations (Draft COTO document)
Typical height
Type Description Durability and deflection Comments
limitations (m)

Precast Discrete panels with

concrete panel compressible bearing pads 0–18 m
system placed between joints

Durability must be assessed in accordance

with EN ISO 9223 and 9224 and the
MSE wire- Not recommended for bridge
Welded steel facings 0–10 m working life provided. The expected
faced abutments.
deflection of the facing should be assessed
and commented on in the design.

Durability must be assessed in accordance

with EN ISO 9223 and 9224 and the
Reinforced gabion-faced Not recommended for bridge
Gabion-faced 0–10 m working life provided. The expected
wall abutments.
deflection of the facing should be assessed
and commented on in the design.

These systems must have a “positive”

Closed block
Positively reinforced connection to the facing when retaining
segmental
concrete segmental block 0–12 m road pavements or structures. ASTM
block retaining
retaining walls D6638 and ASTM D6915 test results must
walls I
be provided for acceptance of the system.

question remains why a positive connec- the facing with the concrete mechanical The failure mode was recorded to be
tion is required for a reinforced SRW block connector bar (as shown in Figure 1). The either pullout of the geogrid or rupture of
wall, and this article aims to clarify that. depths simulated in the tests were 2.24 m the geogrid. However, no pullout occurred
and 7.7 m. The tensile load in the geogrid during any of the tests. This is unlike
ASTM D6638 TEST – CONNECTION was applied using a controlled displace- the tests reported earlier by Van der
STRENGTH TESTS ment rate of 10 mm/min by a horizontal Merwe, Van Biljon and Pequenino (Civil
The ASTM D6638 test, as required by actuator and the following results were Engineering, April 2019) on a different
SANS8006-1, is one of three local/facing measured continuously during the tests: block (the Robust Block), at shallower
stability tests that every supplier should QQ applied vertical pressure depth, which showed the same geogrids
undertake and use in design with their QQ horizontal displacement, and pulling out (without rupture) due to the
specific block. ASTM D6638-01 tests were QQ horizontal load. small intra-block grid friction and absence
undertaken by the University of Pretoria
(Figure 4) using the VFC block and most
of the commonly used geogrids available 50
in South Africa. These grids included
Rockgrid PC, X-grid, MacGrid, ParaGrid
and Secugrid. The geogrids were tested 40
using both a frictional connection and
Peak connection strength (kN/m)

with the geogrids positively connected to

30

20

10

0
0 2 4 6 8 10
Depth from top of wall to level under consideration (m)
Positive connection – Grid A (short-term strength = 40 kN)
Positive connection – Grid A (short-term strength = 80 kN)
Frictional connection – Grid A (short-term strength = 40 kN)
Frictional connection – Grid A (short-term strength = 80 kN)

Figure 4 ASTM D6638 test apparatus Figure 5 Peak connection strength of Grid A from short-term test

38 September 2020  Civil Engineering

 tensile strengths of the grids in that they
0.55 are lower. Therefore, when one reviews
Figure 6, which highlights the Tconn/Tult, it
becomes clear that other factors affect the
0.50
short-term tensile strengths of the grids
inside the blocks. This reduction in the
0.45 in-air short-term strength shows that the
connection strength will govern the re-
quired strength of the geogrid at a specific
0.40
depth and not the tensile load derived at
Tconn /Tult

intercept with the failure wedge if 100%

0.35 Tj is assumed at the facing in accordance
with SANS8006-1.
It is hypothesised that the reduction
0.30
of the in-air strength of the grid can be
attributed to three factors, namely:
0.25 QQ Increased tensile load in the geogrid
and associated reduced horizontal load
capacity over the nibs at an angle of
0.20
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 46° (see Figure 7).
Depth from top of wall to level under consideration (m) QQ Reduced per metre contact of the grids
Positive connection – Grid A (short-term strength = 40 kN) due to the block’s tapered geometry
Positive connection – Grid A (short-term strength = 80 kN) (see red circled portion in Figure 8)
resulting in lost capacity of the geogrid
Figure 6 Connection efficiency of Grid A per metre length, and associated re-
distribution of load to parts in contact
with the positive connection and the
block. This will have different effects
on different grids due to the varying
T/cos (46°)
aperture spacing of grids.
Wb
QQ Consequently damage will occur to
46° T
the geogrid during extension/shear
mobilisation inside the block.
The assumed increase in tensile load
T
over the nib is assumed to equate to
1/‌cos46° = 1.43, i.e. a decrease in peak
connection strength by a factor of 0.7
can be expected when compared to the
in-air short-term tensile strength of the
geogrid. This assumption would also
imply that the geogrid should break
first over the nib, which is shown to be
true in Figure 8 (green rectangle). This
Figure 7 Reduced geogrid capacity or increased tensile load component over 46° nib highlights that changing the angle of a
geogrid at steep angle could result in sig-
of the mechanical locking connector. imply a large reduction in the overall nificant increase in the tensile load in the
Furthermore, often when rupture does stiffness of the reinforced mass and sig- grid. There are many other applications
occur it is due to consequential damage nificantly more displacement of the wall, where geogrids are draped at steep angles
imposed to the geogrid yarns whilst whilst more grids of the same strength will in industry and where caution needs to
pulling it out of (and being pinched be required to prevent connection failure. be exercised.
between) the blocks. What is, however, interesting to note is A value for the long-term connection
The results of the pullout test for that the positive connection’s peak con- strength (LTDS) has been derived by
Grid A, for both a frictional and positive nection strength is not a horizontal line as applying appropriate reduction factors
connection are given in Figure 5. one would expect; this can be attributed to (RFs) on the short-term connection
From Figure 5 the difference in peak additional shear capacity being developed strength for creep, chemical and envi-
connection strength of a geogrid positively in friction behind the positive connection ronmental effects, and weathering using
connected inside the block can be up to but still within the block. the relevant BBA certificates for the
twice as high as that of a frictional con- These peak connection strengths, different grids (if available). The LTDS
nection. This reduction would additionally however, differ from the in-air short-term connection strengths for Grids A (40 kN

Civil Engineering  September 2020 39

 for an 11 m SRW (Allen & Bathurst 2013).
The geogrid reinforcements were instru-
mented with strain gauges and showed
similar loads to those predicted by the
K-stiffness method under operational
conditions, but with increased connection
loading of up to twice the maximum
tensile load measured in the geogrid at a
specific level behind the facing. Allen and
Bathurst (2013) measured significantly
higher tensile forces at the connection of
the geogrids with the facings, and state
that this increase can be attributed to
construction methods and the differential
vertical settlement between the relatively
incompressible SRW facing blocks and
relatively compressible backfill, resulting
in down-drag forces.
Figure 8 Rupture location of geogrid and gap between blocks This down-drag load is not consid-
ered in available geogrid load prediction
models and is not fully understood, but
50 this complex mechanism could lead to
elevated connection load. This increased
connection load needs to be better
40 understood in future prediction models,
especially for high walls. In the mean-
time, using 100% Tj as per SANS8006-1
and a good-quality backfill (G5 or G6)
30
material is what is currently considered
LTDS (kN/m)

to be best practice. This also implies

that the connection strength governs
20 the entire design of reinforced SRWs,
considering the test results shown above
for VFC.
10
ASTM D6916 TEST – SHEAR
STRENGTH OF NIB
SANS508:2012 (akin to ASTM D6919)
0 tests were undertaken by the South
0 2 4 6 8 10
Depth from top of wall to level under consideration (m)
African Bureau of Standard (SABS 2020 –
Positive connection – Grid A (short-term strength = 40 kN)
Figure 10). It was first hypothesised that
Positive connection – Grid A (short-term strength = 80 kN) the nibs would fail through any of the
Frictional connection – Grid A (short-term strength = 40 kN) paths shown in Figure 11, namely 1–3,
Frictional connection – Grid A (short-term strength = 80 kN) 2–4, 1–4 or 2–3.
The nominal concrete shear strength
Figure 9 LTDS (TDconn) for Grid A without reinforcement can be estimated,
without any reinforcement (adjusted for
and 80 kN short-term design strengths) (BS8006-1) but has not been adopted and cube strength from ACI 318-05), from:
are provided in Figure 9. codified in SANS8006-1, and probably
will not be due to the fact that the cost of 0.15 √fck tnib
ACTUAL CONNECTION LOAD the walls will not reduce significantly. The
The K-stiffness approach in the design of K-stiffness method could, however, result 0.15 √26 (1 000)(0.062)(2) = 95 kN/m
MSEWs, includes the effect of reinforce- in the use of more sensible partial factors.
ment stiffness, facing stiffness and toe Using the K-stiffness approach to When considering the tests undertaken,
restraint. The K-stiffness method predicts design a MSEW on a project southeast the characteristic nib strength is 131 kN/m
much smaller reinforcement tensile loads, of Seattle resulted in a 35% reduction in (with 5% of the nibs expected to be lower
especially over the lower half of a wall. A total required reinforcement strengths than 131 kN/m). These results are slightly
reduction in required geogrid strengths when compared to that by the AASHTO higher than those predicted with the equa-
would be applicable to SANS8006-1 (similar to SANS8006-1) design method tion above.

40 September 2020  Civil Engineering

Figure 10 SABS508:2012 shear strength of nibs/lips

ACTUAL PRESSURE ON FACING

The actual pressure developing on the wall
facing is highly contentious, as discussed
earlier in this article, and is dependent on
soil properties, geogrid spacing, facing F
rigidity and compaction-induced pressures,
but it remains best practice to adhere to
codes of practice such as SANS8006-1 4
2
which endorse a triangular pressure acting
on the facing (geogrid reinforcement). 3
Lateral stresses on the SRW facing 1
will, however, increase if loaded vertically
by spread foundations for housing struc-
tures or bridge foundations placed on
top of the wall, as discussed by Mitchell
(2002). This additional stress that acts
on the facing could induce bulging in the
wall facing if not stiff enough.
Figure 11 Shear paths though nibs
IMPACT LOAD EFFECT ON FACING
Impact barriers above MSEWs, are an panels. The geogrid reinforcement must be Tfj = 2Svjf f FLQ(1-hjQ)(1)
important facet on roads projects, and must checked to not rupture or pull out during an
be designed to resist sliding and overturning impact event. Where:

⎫ φ’ ⎫
tan ⎪ 45 – p ⎪
moment by their own mass and the mass of Concrete impact barriers placed on

⎭ 2⎭
the soil above them (AASHTO 2012). This top of a mechanically stabilised earth re-

⎫ b⎫
impact load will add additional load into taining wall must be designed for 200 kN Q= (2)
⎪d + ⎪
⎭ 2⎭
the top geogrid reinforcement layers which impact load (including static and transient
can be resisted by the entire length of the load) at 700 mm impact height around
geogrid and not just the length behind the curves and 100 kN around straight
plane of rupture. AASHTO (2012) indicates portions or where the curve is outwards Where:
that the reduction factor for creep in TDconn (SANRAL 2020). Svj = is the vertical spacing of reinforce-
can be left out for impact load and seismic These impact loads will be resisted ments at the jth level in the wall
load check, as it is not a permanent action in sliding through the moment slab and φ’p = is the peak friction angle
(this is, however, debatable, as some load roughly distributed to the facing through f f = a partial factor applied to external
could be locked into the system due to irre- the MSEW fill as shown in Figure 12. This dead loads
versible displacement that will occur during will add additional horizontal stress over This must be added to the tensile force
such an event). A gap or bond break should the top SRW block units. component due to the self-weight of fill (ac-
be left between the MSE facing and the back SANS8006-1 states that a horizontal tive pressure) and uniform surcharge (Tpj):
of the impact barrier to prevent direct load shear force FL can be computed using the
transfer to the SRW block units or discrete following equation: Tj = Tpj + Tsj + Tfj(3)

Civil Engineering  September 2020 41

 Research undertaken and documented
CL in NCHRP 663 (2009) on the effect
d
of impact on impact barriers above
σh
FL MSEWs, gives valuable insight into how
b load is attracted to reinforcement in
impact scenarios.
The moment slab is assumed to be
continuous over three slabs and the
hj parapets tied together with shear dowels.
This is intended to reduce the influence
Zs

of impact barrier loads on MSEW systems

by distributing the impact load over a
(45° – φ’/2) wider area and providing stability of the
H

barrier against sliding and overturning

moments. The dissipation of impact
loads into the moment slab and effective
transfer through the shear dowels, how-
d + b/2 ever, are not fully understood. The study
zs =
tan(45° – φ’/2) undertaken, as discussed, in NCHRP 663
(using 240 kN impact load) states that
2FL tan(45° – φ’/2) using the method in Figure 12 is inac-
σh =
d + b/2 L Drg. 520f curate if the impact load is divided by the
entire length of three panels, and dynamic
Figure 12 Spread of horizontal load on foundation through reinforced fill (SANS8006-1) loads in the strips measured were 3 to 5
times higher than those predicted using
AASHTO (2004) close to the impact
Tensile force and connection resistance, T (kN/m) position.
0 5 10 15 20 25 Conservative simplifications/adjust-
0
ments, by the authors of this article,
of NCHRP 663 and AASHTO (2012)
0.5 recommendations, to analyse the effect of
impact load on MSEW reinforcement, are
1.0 given below:
QQ Rupture of the geogrids can be
Depth below top of wall (m)

checked using Equation 1 for an im-

1.5
pact line load derived over a length of
1.7 m. This accounts for the local peak
2.0 force in the vicinity of the concen-
trated load at the time of impact and
before displacement of the system has
2.5
occurred. After some displacement
has occurred the load will transfer
3.0 over a wider area.
QQ Pullout/adherence of the geogrids out

3.5
of the backfill material over the length
Tj Tconn Grid A with VFC (non-positive) Tconn Grid A with Robust (non-positive) of three connected barriers can be
Tconn Grid A with VFC long-term connection strength ignoring creep (positive connection) checked using the full length of the
geogrid and Equation 1 (except on the
Figure 13 Tensile force and connection resistance for 100 kN impact load end block).
QQ Pressure on the SRW blocks or MSEW
The moment slab is assumed to be continuous over three slabs and the discrete panel can be calculated from
Figure 12 for an impact load assumed
parapets tied together with shear dowels. This is intended to reduce the influence to act over a length of 1.7 m.
of impact barrier loads on MSEW systems by distributing the impact load over a It should be remembered that the NCHRP
663 full-scale tests were done on MSE with
wider area and providing stability of the barrier against sliding and overturning steel reinforcement strips, but no other
studies could be found where geogrids
moments. The dissipation of impact loads into the moment slab and effective
have been used. The above recommenda-
transfer through the shear dowels are, however, not fully understood. tions provided are therefore slightly more

42 September 2020  Civil Engineering

 that develop in the geogrids with depth short-term tensile strength of the
compared with the rupture strength geogrid. This will almost always be
(ignoring creep) and the short-term Tconn. the case.
Impact load
This shows that an impact load will QQ A “positive connection” is required
dislodge or significantly distort Robust during impact as increased pressure
blocks (as shown in Figure 14), but not will act on the SRW blocks over the
a positively connected VFC block wall. top of the wall.
The rupture strength of the geogrid QQ A “positive connection” results in

Geogrid
should be sufficient to prevent the geogrid higher connection strengths compared
from breaking. to a frictional connection and is
The integrity of the block nibs should better suited to limit displacement of
also be checked with this pressure and structures placed above the reinforced
Figure 14 Frictional connection with calculated to be sufficient. mass due to the higher associated
impact load confinement stress and stiffness of the
CONCLUSIONS AND reinforced mass.
conservative when compared to the RECOMMENDATIONS QQ Geogrid tensile forces increase inside
NCHRP 663 recommendations. Testing The following conclusion can be drawn the SRW block when the geogrid is
the effect of impact load on a geogrid from this study: draped over a nib. The steeper the
wall could, however, be valuable research QQ The connection strength governs nib angle the larger the increase in
in future. the required geogrid in accordance tensile load. 
An impact load of 100 kN was consid- to SANS8006-1 at the depth under
ered over three impact barriers of 4.95 m, consideration if the geogrid is draped REFERENCES
each with a moment slab width of 1.7 m. through a castellated block, or if the The list of references is available from the
Figure 13 summarises the tensile forces measured capacity is lower than the authors.

Civil Engineering  September 2020 43

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M A R K E T CO N T R I B U T I O N

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44 September 2020  Civil Engineering

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IN BRIEF

HILLARY AND TJEKA PLACE ROAD CONSTRUCTION TRAINING IN THE FAST LANE
Hillary Construction continues to invest
in quality training with a specific focus on
developing vibrant and long careers in the
civil engineering construction sector.
The lion’s share of young South
Africans who have been given the op-
portunity to participate in the company’s
Gap Year initiative are from previously
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significant focus of the training also geared
at attracting more women into the civil
engineering construction industry.
The programme was launched in
2017 as a pilot project initially aimed at
attracting enterprising matriculants to the
civil engineering construction sector, but
has since been extended to include N6 civil
engineering interns who need to complete
18 months of workplace training to com- Geraldine Rademeyer is following closely in the footsteps of her brother who, after
plete their National Diploma (N6). completing the Gap Year training programme, is now studying towards a degree in civil
The most promising individuals are engineering at the University of Pretoria on a full bursary from Hillary Construction
awarded bursaries by Hillary Construction
to study towards a Civil Engineering individuals from this group are women Matters is also a registered private tech-
Degree or Diploma. As many as 18 of the who, once they have completed their theo- nical vocational education training (TVET)
just under 50 candidates who have par- retical training, will be deployed on Hillary college that provides training that is
ticipated in this initiative thus far are now Construction sites for practical training. accredited by the Construction Education
furthering their education at universities or Hillary Construction continues to place and Training Authority.
universities of technology. significant credence on training, so uses Frans Toua, Chief Executive Officer
Tjeka Training Matters has been pro- Tjeka Training Matters as its preferred of Tjeka Training Matters, lauds the high
viding road construction training on behalf training provider considering the very high quality of learners that the college has
of Hillary Construction since the launch of quality of its road-construction training, received from Hillary Construction over the
the initiative. An additional 12 individuals which the contractor says, “remains unri- years, which contributes towards the overall
recently started their four-month training valled”. This is evidenced by the feedback success of the training that they provide.
at Tjeka’s state-of-the-art training and Hillary continues to receive from learners Candidates apply for the training by sub-
trade-testing facility in Randfontein as part who have participated in the programme. mitting their CVs to Hillary Construction
of the 2020 Gap Year programme. Eight Important to note is that Tjeka Training via its website. They must have maths and
science at matric level with an average
pass mark of 50%, and they must also be
willing to undergo psychometric evaluation
to measure their mental capabilities and
behavioural style, as well as their suitability
for the road construction industry.
The 12-month National Certificate
in Road Construction Works NQF3
learnership covers road maintenance,
layer­works, bitumen surfacing, stormwater
drainage, culverts and kerbing. These are
complemented by the core units, namely
engineering drawing, quality and produc-
tion, and health and safety.
Keeping the young learners motivated
is also key to the success of Tjeka Training
A few of the Hillary Construction Matters’ approach. The learners receive
group of 12 individuals who recently coaching from an experienced team of
started their training at Tjeka Training Matters trainers who, in the words of learner

46 September 2020  Civil Engineering

Patrick Semenya, “… listen to you and make
sure that you understand right from the
word go. The training has been fantastic,
and I am excited to continue learning more
about my chosen field.”
The 27-year old Semenya is participating
in the initiative to gain the 18 months
of practical training that he needs to
complete his National Diploma (N6) in
Civil Engineering. This is an important first
step taken towards achieving his goal of
enrolling for a degree in civil engineering
and later registering with the Engineering
Council of South Africa as a professional.
One of the highlights of the training
for him thus far has been the installation The image shows a wind turbine blade being transported;
of precast concrete stormwater pipes. He is various challenging factors need to be kept in mind when
now also looking forward to assisting with transporting the enormous wind turbine components
repairing potholes in the area as part of
the practical component of his learnership.
“The more you learn, the more you will be QUALITY TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING
able to master. I have an enquiring mind
that wants to learn as much as possible SERVICES KEEP RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECTS ON TRACK
about civil engineering, especially road
construction,” he says. JG Afrika continues to build on a long studies for developers of these projects
Meanwhile, Geraldine Rademeyer is legacy of providing quality traffic and since 2012. These studies have played
following closely in her brother’s footsteps. transportation engineering services an invaluable role in keeping renewable
Her brother (Ignatias) is now studying to prominent international developers energy projects on track and mitigating the
towards a degree in civil engineering at of renewable energy projects in the need for potential design changes to road
the University of Pretoria, having received country. This is as the Renewable Energy infrastructure, and upgrades at a late stage
a full bursary from Hillary Construction Independent Power Producer Procurement in the construction programme.
based on his stellar performance in the (REIPPP) programme starts gaining trac- “Depending on the size of the project,
2018 Gap Year training programme. tion following a period of hiatus. JG Afrika is invited by developers to
“I know that I can do it because my To date, over 100 independent power undertake detailed traffic and transporta-
brother did. I am very excited about working producer (IPP) projects have been procured tion studies fairly early in its life cycle,
in an industry that has long been dominated from four bidding round windows, and such as in the prefeasibility and in the
by males,” says Geraldine, who is 19 years more are to be announced in the future Environmental Impact Assessment stages
old. She says that she has already learnt a lot as South Africa strives to generate almost where a more general study is undertaken.
from Tjeka Training Matters and is looking 18 000 MW of electricity from renewable Our comprehensive traffic and transporta-
forward to completing her learnership and energy sources by 2030. tion engineering services for developers of
working on one of Hillary Construction’s These include utility-scale solar, gas-
current projects. Like Semenya, she praises to-power, biomass, waste-to-energy and
the quality of the training that she has wind projects, all of which require unique
received from the TVET college. specialist studies to ensure the efficient
According to Toua, Hillary and safe transportation of imported com-
Construction continues to take training ponents from the country’s ports to various
seriously. “The contractor’s approach development sites.
transcends merely contributing towards Iris Wink, a JG Afrika Associate who
the scorecard. Through them many leads the firm’s Transport and Traffic
young South Africans have been given Engineering Division in Cape Town, has
an opportunity to start careers in an successfully completed about 100 traffic
exciting industry by participating in the and transportation engineering studies
Gap Year programme.” for developers of various renewable
energy projects.
Passionate about sustainable energy,
Info
specifically wind, she also helped the firm
David Poggiolini and Frans Toua develop its transport and traffic engi- Iris Wink Pr Eng, JG Afrika Associate who
[email protected]
neering services for the renewable energy leads the firm’s Transport and Traffic
[email protected]
sector and has completed about 60 related Engineering Division in Cape Town

Civil Engineering  September 2020 47

 windows of the REIPPP programme where
wind turbines were around 60 m high with
shorter blade lengths of between 45 m and
50 m.
Transporting a single blade all the way
from the port of entry to the crane laydown
area or directly to the location of a wind
turbine, where they are lifted and placed on
the nacelle by contractors working to strict
deadlines, is a significant undertaking. The
task at hand entails using specialised im-
ported trucks and self-steering trailers to
negotiate sharp turns. In some instances,
the trailers are also fitted with cranes to lift
the blades over obstacles as they make their
In some instances cranes are used when transporting way from the ports, such as Ngqura in the
wind turbine components to lift the blades over obstacles Eastern Cape.
as they make their way from the ports to their destinations Specialist drivers and technicians help
to transport these abnormal loads over
renewable energy projects include detailed However, one of the challenges in predetermined routes. Some of the other
access risk assessments, route management executing these projects is their extremely factors that are taken into consideration
and transport logistics studies. This is in remote locations. They are becoming during the traffic and transportation
addition to studying the impact of renew- more isolated, placing significant logistical planning include challenging gradients,
able energy projects on road networks constraints on the developer and the route hazards, as well as underground and
and communities, as well as undertaking engineer, as well as on the procure and over-ground services. This is in addition
Transport Impact Assessments and con- construction teams appointed to execute to challenging factors, such as black-spots,
ceptual access road designs,” she says. these large projects. sharp bends, overhead height restrictions,
To date, the most challenging and “Imported components, including the weather conditions, and telecommunica-
interesting traffic and transportation blades, nacelles and tower sections, have tions and cable clearances.
engineering studies undertaken by JG to be transported over longer distances Certainly, these projects complement
Afrika’s team of transportation and traffic from a suitable point of entry to outlying the firm’s already strong participation in
engineers for the renewable energy market rural areas that are not adequately, or yet, the REIPPP programme where JG Afrika
have been for developers of wind farms. serviced by roads. There has been at least has provided other quality professional
The firm has already completed about one case where a project was scuppered engineering services. For example, the firm
40 traffic and transportation engineering because the abnormal load trucks would delivered structural review engineering
studies for this segment of the renewable have been unable to access the project site, and construction monitoring services for
energy market and it is currently under- despite numerous attempts to find a work- the 50 MW !Khi Solar One Tower, the
taking six more related assignments for able solution. Based on the findings of our tallest concentrating solar power at the
developers of wind farms. studies during the early planning phases time, and served as owner’s engineer on
Wind comprises a larger portion of of these projects, the location of many the Noblesfontein Wind Farm, relying
planned renewable energy investments wind turbine generators have also had to heavily on its geotechnical specialist
in South Africa, and it is anticipated that be moved to areas that can be accessed by consulting services.
it will contribute just under 60% of clean the specialised haulage companies that These extensive learning experiences
energy-related emissions reductions over will be appointed to transport the valuable have also helped inform the services
project lifespans. mechanical equipment,” Wink explains. provided by the Transport and Traffic
Wind farms now supply up to 52% of She adds that the components are also Engineering Department to the renewable
the country’s clean energy, from a total of becoming larger, adding a further level energy sector and positioned the firm as
22 operational wind IPPs with an installed of complexity to transport and logistics among one of the local leaders in the field.
capacity of 2 078 MW currently connected planning. For example, JG Afrika has un- Wink is optimistic about the future
to the national grid and more than 900 dertaken traffic and transportation studies of renewable energy in the country,
wind turbines located throughout three for wind farms that have wind-generator considering President Cyril Ramaphosa’s
provinces of South Africa. turbines with hub heights of up to 190 m pledge to restart the REIPPP programme
A total of 6 360 MW of wind power has to reach higher above the earth’s surface by initiating the fifth bidding window in
already been determined for procurement where stronger winds blow. Their more his State of the Nation Address earlier this
from IPPs. This is 69% of the capacity aerodynamically efficient blades are up to year. This is despite delays to the imple-
planned by 2030, and there are currently 95 m in length, while the nacelle alone can mentation of this plan due to the lockdown
36 preferred wind IPP bidders providing a weigh up to 56 tonnes. to contain the spread of the Covid-19 virus.
combined capacity of 3 366 MW, under the This is very different from wind “South Africa has lost a lot of manu-
latest round of the REIPPP programme. projects that were completed during earlier facturing capacity because of previous

48 September 2020  Civil Engineering

delays to the REIPPP programme. A case in point is a wind tower
factory in the Eastern Cape that went into liquidation due to the
postponement of projects. Locally manufactured tower sections for
wind projects would have eased some of the logistical challenges
surrounding these projects. This is over and above contributing
towards the localisation targets set out by the REIPPP programme.
Certainly, a resolute commitment from government to renewable
energy bodes well for the entire industry,” she concludes.

Info

Lauren Esterhuizen
Marketing Manager Prof Wynand Steyn (Head of the Civil Engineering Department and
JG Afrika Chair of the School of Engineering) and Prof Sunil Maharaj (Dean of the
[email protected] Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology
at the University of Pretoria) seen here in front of the university’s
Engineering 4 research facility

UP AND CSIR SIGN COLLABORATION solutions, which is in line with our implementation plan and is
linked to the CSIR’s mandate to support and strengthen industrial
AGREEMENT ON SMART TRANSPORT, activity in the country.”
This collaboration includes the cooperative use of the
CITIES AND ENVIRONMENTS CSIR laboratories and UP’s Engineering 4.0 facility. These facilities
complement each other and allow for larger research projects to
The University of Pretoria (UP) and the Council for Scientific and be executed, with the involvement of postgraduate students. The
Industrial Research (CSIR), an entity of the Department of Science collaboration also entails jointly working towards the establish-
and Innovation (DSI), signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) ment of a CSIR Research Chair in Smart Mobility at UP. This Chair
on 22 July to collaborate in the area of smart transport, cities and will fund senior researchers and postgraduate students who will
environments. conduct research in areas of targeted need.
According to Professor Wynand Steyn, Head of the
Department of Civil Engineering in UP’s Faculty of Engineering,
Built Environment and Information Technology (EBIT), “The
cooperation means that UP can focus on creating a pipeline of
potential researchers in these areas.” He explained that smart
transport, cities and environments are part of an integrated
system that encompasses digitised transportation systems,
parking management, reduced traffic congestion, and addressing
environmental problems. The aim is to reduce energy consump-
tion levels in transportation, maximise productivity in industry,
and provide a higher quality of life for citizens.
Prof Steyn explained further that, “To work towards smart
cities, there is a need to develop researchers with advanced
skills in robotics, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things,
and satellite technology. To this end, researchers will be trained
through complementary skills at UP and the CSIR.” This will
further develop the skills required to design, construct, maintain
and rehabilitate the extensive roads network in South Africa, a
network that is vital for accessibility and the mobility of its com-
munities, and in support of economic opportunities.
Kenny Kistan, CSIR Executive Cluster Manager: Smart
Mobility, said, “The Smart Mobility Cluster of the CSIR sees the
collaboration with the Engineering Faculty of UP as an integral
component of its strategic initiative to address transport and
infrastructure challenges in the country and on the continent.
This will undoubtedly contribute to improving and advancing
economic activity. This partnership will enable us to share our
expertise to accelerate technology solutions in South Africa’s
smart mobility sector.”
“Besides, this initiative is a positive start to co-create scien-
tific knowledge and multi-faceted technological innovation and

Civil Engineering  September 2020 49

 changes in terms of mobility as a service Speaking at the signing ceremony, CSIR
affects the way that goods and people are CEO Dr Thulani Dlamini said that collabo-
transported. “Due to the vast distances ration with UP has a long history and has
between communities, economic opportu- always been productive. This agreement is
nities and agricultural resources in Africa, further testimony to the enduring partner-
an extensive transportation network of ship between the two institutions. “Our
some sort will remain essential for the collaborations with higher education institu-
social and economic development of the tions such as the University of Pretoria en-
continent in the next few decades.” The hance the CSIR’s research, development and
envisaged smart mobility focus of this new innovation activities through the production
collaboration will support the development of high-quality knowledge, technologies and
of appropriate and functional transporta- innovations in the chosen sectoral areas of
tion systems serving the country. focus. Further, they provide solid platforms
UP Vice-Chancellor and Principal for advancing our human capital develop-
Professor Tawana Kupe said, “We sign this ment skills objectives and in this case we will
MOA following a national and global fight jointly be developing skills of the future as
Prof Tawana Kupe, Vice Chancellor and against the Covid-19 health crisis. This part of the scope of the agreement.”
Principal Professor, signs the Memorandum pandemic requires us to look at innovative Dr Dlamini further said the partnership
of Agreement on behalf of the University of and unconventional ways of doing things was truly synergistic in that the envis-
Pretoria in the higher education sector, in partner- aged application of emerging and fourth
ship with institutions like the CSIR. It is industrial revolution (4IR) technologies,
Professor Sunil Maharaj, Dean of EBIT, a big wake-up call to think and do things amongst others in this collaboration, in
said the state-of-the-art Engineering 4.0 differently if we want to take the lead as fact executes the new CSIR strategy and
building (a collaboration between UP, the South Africa, with our universities playing does so as the CSIR mandate had intended.
South African National Roads Agency an essential role in co-creating the conti- “What is even more meaningful is that,
(SANRAL) and the CSIR which will be nent we want beyond Covid-19.” through this partnership, we will also con-
launched soon) hosts Africa’s first inde- He said in this partnership UP seeks to tribute to addressing the triple challenges
pendent transport reference and testing advance the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable of unemployment, poverty and inequality
facility, which will test materials for the Development Goals (SDGs), with par- in our country, as smart transport, cities
road construction industry. “Such testing ticular focus on innovation, infrastructure, and environment are key to addressing
will characterise materials for appropriate and sustainable cities and communities as these challenges.”
construction and maintenance. It is also critical for developing any economy. For
a research and training hub for smart Prof Kupe, the collaboration with the CSIR Info
transport systems.” will cement UP’s position as a leader in
Prim Gower
Disruptive technologies are changing this field, making a distinct contribution to
[email protected]
the face of transportation in the world, Prof these goals. “Collaborations are imperative
Maharaj said, and transport systems will for finding solutions to national and global David Mandaha
[email protected]
look a lot different in 20 years. In Africa, challenges.”

50 September 2020  Civil Engineering

South Africa
 D I S PU T E B OA R D S

Anton van Langelaar Pr Eng

FAArb, MCIArb, PMP
Dispute Avoidance and Resolution Practitioner
DRBF Country Representative for South Africa
[email protected]

Dispute Boards –
Ethics in Today’s World of DRBs1 (article 13)
INTRODUCTION attorney to make it fairer to everyone. What would you do as
An introductory article on Dispute Board ethics appeared in the the chair and how should the Board respond?
July 2017 edition of Civil Engineering.2
It reminded the reader of a series of six articles on Dispute
Boards (DBs) which had appeared in previous editions of Civil What should the DB do?17
Engineering and advised that the next series of articles on DBs are (by Jim Phillips PhD, Chair of the DRBF Ethics Committee)
aimed at specifics, dealing with pertinent aspects of DBs in more The question posed at the end of the last column was how should
depth. It also advised that interspersed with these will be a series the DRB Chair respond to the request from a Board member to
of articles on DB ethics penned by Jim Phillips PhD, Chair of the assist the contractor’s attorney in making his client’s presentation
Dispute Review Board Foundation (DRBF) Ethics Committee. due to the fact that English is the attorney’s second language and
These articles were first published under the general heading every one at the hearing is having extreme difficulty following
of “Ethics in Today’s World of DRBs” in the DRBF Forum3 and his/her presentation. The Board member making the suggestion
are republished by kind permission of the DRBF and the author to the Chair has become extremely frustrated and believes that
Jim Phillips. the hearing has become chaotic and a huge distraction.
The article that follows is the thirteenth of these articles on On its face, it appears that this is a complex problem. The
DB ethics that we will be reproducing (the first twelve articles purpose of a DRB hearing is to allow the parties to present their
appeared in the August4 and September5 2017, and March6, May7, case and arguments to the Board in order for the Board to un-
August8 and September9 2018, and January/February10, March11, derstand the issues surrounding the disputes, review the back-up
June12 and July13 2019, and January/February14 and May15 2020 edi- documentation, ask probative questions, and provide a recom-
tions of Civil Engineering respectively). mendation to the parties on their opinion as to how the disputes
The July 2017 article stated the DRBF Canons of Ethics. might be resolved. However, in order for the parties to respond
Included furthermore in the article were practice guidelines and to each other’s presentations and arguments, and in order for the
further discussion on how Board members are expected to con- Board to render a recommendation, all participants must be able
duct themselves, which were reproduced from Chapter 2.10 of the to understand the presentations being made.
DRBF Practices and Procedures Manual. Accordingly, it serves as
a handy reference guide when reading the articles on DB ethics.16 The purpose of a DRB hearing is to allow the parties to
At the end of the May 2020 article the following question
was posed, which forms the basis of this thirteenth article by present their case and arguments to the Board in order
Dr Phillips: for the Board to understand the issues surrounding
Assume you are sitting on a DRB at a formal hearing at
the disputes, review the back-up documentation, ask
which both of the parties are represented by counsel. probative questions, and provide a recommendation
Assume that the owner, a state department of transporta-
tion, is represented by a well-spoken Assistant Attorney
to the parties on their opinion as to how the
General. Assume the contractor is represented by an disputes might be resolved. However, in order for
attorney who is not well-spoken and for whom English is
a second language. The contractor’s attorney is having a
the parties to respond to each other’s presentations
very difficult time being understood by the DRB and by and arguments, and in order for the Board to render
the owner and their attorney. During a recess one of the
members asks the chair if it would be possible to “level the
a recommendation, all participants must be able
playing field” and somehow try to assist the contractor’s to understand the presentations being made.
Civil Engineering  September 2020 51
 I understand that this issue has come up several times and A further thought in dealing with the matter could be to
with several different outcomes, and I think it is important to review the need for a hearing. Perhaps the matter can be resolved
discuss the ethical considerations of reaching a resolution. A car- on documents only. However, chances are that if the presentation
dinal rule of DRB communications is clarity. Clarity of commu- is poor, so would the written documents, if compiled by the same
nication in the contract documents, clarity between the parties in person challenged by the lack of English language ability.
the ongoing exchange of communications and documents during Another thought would be the use of a translator.
the construction process, and clarity of communications between
the parties and the DRB. ETHICS: next challenge
This question puts a completely different spin on the dictate Suppose the DRB panel which you chair unanimously issues
of Canon 1 of the Code of Ethics, that Board members should a decision recommending that the project owner pay the
at all times be impartial and avoid the appearance of a conflict contractor $500 000 on a specific claim for extras. At the next
in interest. Would the Board be impartial if it decided to assist meeting of the panel with the parties, the owner and contractor
the contractor’s attorney to make his/her presentation? Probably take you aside at the lunch break and tell you that they have
not. The owner would object because its attorney is not similarly been negotiating this issue and a couple of others and believe
being assisted, which is a valid complaint and observation. The they are close to a resolution but need your help to get a couple
DRB should in no way appear to show partiality to either of of “minor sticking points” resolved. They want to try to resolve
the parties. the issue during the lunch hour without saying anything to
This brings me to a discussion of another Canon of Ethics, anyone else. What would you do as the chair and how should
Canon 2. Canon 2 provides that the conduct of Board members the Board respond? 
should be above reproach and that even an appearance of a con-
flict of interest should be avoided. Usually we think of conflicts of NOTES
interest as financial interests or personal stakes that would have 1. Dispute Review Board – gives a non-binding recommendation.
an impact on a DRB member’s neutrality. Does “assisting” the 2. Van Langelaar, A 2017. Dispute Boards – Ethics. Civil Engineering,
contractor’s attorney making her presentation show an improper 25(6): 67–70.
financial interest? Probably not, but it can and will be viewed 3. The DRBF Forum is a quarterly publication of the DRBF.
as bias, and because the owner’s attorney would more than 4. Van Langelaar, A 2017. Dispute Boards – Ethics in Today’s World of
likely object. DRBs. Civil Engineering, 25(7): 52–53.
Canon 3 of the Canons of Ethics provides that the DRB should 5. Van Langelaar, A 2017. Dispute Boards – Ethics in Today’s World of
impartially consider all disputes brought before it. Any effort by DRBs (article 2). Civil Engineering, 25(8): 54–55.
the Board to assist either party will be viewed as being partial 6. Van Langelaar, A 2018. Dispute Boards – Ethics in Today’s World of
to the party receiving the assistance. Accordingly, based on the DRBs (article 3). Civil Engineering, 26(2): 66–67.
DRBF Canons of Ethics, it is clear the Chair should not respond 7. Van Langelaar, A 2018. Dispute Boards – Ethics in Today’s World of
affirmatively to the Board member’s request. DRBs (article 4). Civil Engineering, 26(4): 63–64.
Are there other responses the Board might initiate rather than 8. Van Langelaar, A 2018. Dispute Boards – Ethics in Today’s World of
allow the hearing to do possible major damage to the parties’ DRBs (article 5). Civil Engineering, 26(7): 54–55.
working relationships, not to mention undermine the hearing 9. Van Langelaar, A 2018. Dispute Boards – Ethics in Today’s World of
process? One idea would be to ask the contractor to consider DRBs (article 6). Civil Engineering, 26(8): 54–55.
having another representative make the presentation in order to 10. Van Langelaar, A 2019. Dispute Boards – Ethics in Today’s World of
ensure clarity of communication. This might not be well received DRBs (article 7). Civil Engineering, 27(1): 46–47.
in view of the fact that the contractor may have incurred substan- 11. Van Langelaar, A 2019. Dispute Boards – Ethics in Today’s World of
tial legal fees. However, the contractor is probably painfully aware DRBs (article 8). Civil Engineering, 27(2): 59–61.
of the effect his/her attorney is having on the merits of the case 12. Van Langelaar, A 2019. Dispute Boards – Ethics in Today’s World of
and may very well welcome this suggestion. DRBs (article 9). Civil Engineering, 27(5): 43–44.
13. Van Langelaar, A 2019. Dispute Boards – Ethics in Today’s World of
FURTHER COMMENT DRBs (article 10). Civil Engineering, 27(6): 58–59.
(by Anton van Langelaar) 14. Van Langelaar, A 2020. Dispute Boards – Ethics in Today’s World of
Having an attorney and an Assistant Attorney General repre- DRBs (article 11). Civil Engineering, 28(1): 38–40.
senting parties at a Dispute Board hearing is not the norm. In 15. Van Langelaar, A 2020. Dispute Boards – Ethics in Today’s World of
fact, the need for legal representation at all should be carefully DRBs (article 12). Civil Engineering, 28(4): 48–49.
considered. In previous articles18 the less formal DB hearings were 16. A new document of ethics has been produced by the DRBF – The
distinguished from the more formal arbitration hearings or an DRBF Code of Ethical Conduct which can be found at https://www.
action in court. drb.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/DRBF-Code-of-Ethical-
Conduct-March-2018.pdf. However, Chapter 2.10 of the DRBF
Practices and Procedures Manual remains relevant to the series of
The DRBF is a non-profit organisation formed in 1996 and is dedicated articles published in the Forum prior to March 2018.
to promoting the avoidance and resolution of disputes worldwide
17. First published in the DRBF Forum, Volume 18, Issue 3 September/
using the unique and proven Dispute Board (DB) method. The DRBF
objectives include communication, education and training and it has October 2014.
over 700 members in 80 countries. 18. For example, Van Langelaar, A 2014. Dispute Boards – Operation,
Part 3. Civil Engineering, 22(1): 62–66.

52 September 2020  Civil Engineering

 SA I C E A N D PR O FE SS I O N A L N E W S

Obituaries
Kenneth Neil Soderlund (1928–2020)
On 7 August 2020 the consulting engineering In 1969, Ken left the City Council to set up
profession in South Africa lost a well-known a consulting engineering practice, Soderlund
figure with the sad passing of Ken Soderlund after and Schutte, with Walter (Wally) Schutte. He
a fall at the age of 92. co-authored the first edition of the SAICE Code of
Ken Soderlund grew up in Johannesburg and Practice for lateral support in excavations and was
was schooled at St John’s College, matriculating involved in the design and construction of many
at the very young age of 14. He studied at the infrastructure projects. His particular interest was
University of the Witwatersrand. He was the in the provision of municipal infrastructure. During
youngest person to graduate from the university his 30 years of practice as a consulting engineer,
with a BSc (Eng) degree in civil engineering at Ken mentored a large number of engineers in all
the age of 19 years (much to the disappointment technical and professional aspects of the design and
of the second youngest engineering graduate, the construction of municipal infrastructure and town-
late Tony Goldstein!). ship development. He was known for his keen intel-
After completion of his studies, Ken joined the City Engineer’s ligence, incisive mind and sharp wit. He had the ability to analyse any
Department of the Johannesburg City Council. He was involved situation and rapidly arrive at a simple and practical solution.
in numerous projects, including the design and construction Ken is survived by his wife Jenny (Heidi), sons Neil and John, and
of the Doornkloof Reservoir. He rose to the position of Head of daughter Jane.
Design for the Council. He was responsible for the design of the
M1 Motorway double-decker overpass over the Braamfontein Brian Lewis and Ron Watermeyer
yard, together with the late Walter Schutte. He was greatly
[email protected] and [email protected]
respected by all who worked with him.

Wolf Weidemann (1935–2020)

Wolf was a familiar face at SAICE for many at GH Marais & Partners Inc, after which
years where he presented his successful period he became involved in developing
courses on business finances for built and presenting his abovementioned
environment professionals, and the han- courses. For many years (1981–2001)
dling of projects in a consulting engineer’s he also served on the SA Council for
practice. During presentations he always Professional Engineers (now ECSA),
emphasised the importance of meaningful as well as various SAACE (now CESA)
communication and interpersonal skills. committees.
Wolf was born in Windhoek in Outside of work Wolf had various
1935 and graduated from Stellenbosch interesting hobbies. He was an excellent
University in 1956 with a degree in elec- pianist and had also taught himself to play outlook. He passed away on 28 June, and
tronic engineering, followed a few years the trumpet. He could perform on both is survived by his wife Marie, his sons
later by studies in nuclear engineering at instruments at concert level. In addition Hermann and Walter, and daughter Luise.
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. he was a talented tin-smith, a skill which
From 1960 to 1978 he served on the he had learnt from his father.
SAICE Education and Training Team
Atomic Energy Board at Pelindaba (from During the last few years of his life
1964 as Director of the Instrumentation Wolf experienced serious health problems We thank Walter Weidemann for his assistance
in preparing this tribute. Wolf’s wife can be
Division). From 1980 until 1993 he was from time to time, but always managed
contacted at: [email protected]
Director: Electronics and Instrumentation to overcome these with his usual positive

Civil Engineering  September 2020 53

Emeritus Professor Mike de Kock (1933–2020)
retired in 1998. He was persuaded to in dams) before focusing on structures
be Head of the Department of Civil (bridge deck analysis, low-cost housing
Engineering at UCT from 1992 to 1998, and serviceability of slabs). This led
a position he reluctantly accepted but to his interest in structural materials,
undertook with characteristic vigour, focusing on concrete and, in particular,
passion and energy. Retirement did not the use of fly ash in concrete. He made
slow him down, and he remained active immense contributions to the study and
in teaching and academic contributions use of concrete in structures. In 2005, he
to the Department for many years as was awarded honorary membership by
Emeritus Associate Professor until 2013 at the Concrete Society of Southern Africa
the age of 80. for his outstanding contributions to the
Mike was an extremely versatile and Society and to the industry in general.
multi-skilled academic and engineer. As Head of Department from 1992 to
He was fascinated by all aspects of civil 1998, he was instrumental in the rejuve-
engineering and was comfortable teaching nation and rebuilding of the department
almost any subject with passion and into a strong modern civil engineering
enthusiasm, which spilled over to his school, and updated the undergraduate
students and directed their interests and curriculum to prepare students for the
later specialisation in various disciplines next century. His ever-enthusiastic and
within civil engineering. He made sure selfless approach made the department
that subjects were taught and learned as more inclusive and unified. He also
Emeritus Prof Mike de Kock passed away hands-on engineering practice with a championed the re-engineering of the
peacefully at his home in Rondebosch on sound theoretical background, rather than curriculum to fit the challenges facing
Wednesday 24 June 2020. Over a period theory-driven. This was demonstrated by universities and students at the time. This
spanning five decades, Mike played a key his keenness and ability to make models resulted in UCT being the first under-
role in the education and development of and devise practicals to ensure students graduate civil engineering programme to
many students in the Civil Engineering interacted and learned to love their achieve a fully outcomes-based accredita-
Department at the University of Cape subjects. Mike’s use of a Weetbix biscuit tion by ECSA in 2001. As a colleague,
Town. He is fondly remembered by former and straightened paperclips to introduce and later as HOD, Mike also took a keen
students, colleagues and the wider civil students to the study of reinforced interest in the development of new staff
engineering community. concrete is legendary – just an example of and colleagues, always giving feedback,
Mike was born in Montagu on 10 many innovations and improvisations to praise and encouragement to develop
September 1933. This is where he started enhance student learning. their careers and interest.
and completed his schooling before Ever humble and never satisfied with Always an innovative man, Mike is
going on to study Civil Engineering at “just good enough”, Mike would make also remembered for his fleet of Ford
the University of Cape Town in 1951. He copious notes of what to do, how to Cortinas and later Toyota Corollas that he
took a keen interest in all the subjects and improve lectures, tutorials and practicals. kept maintained and running for himself
excelled in his studies, graduating with He would share this with colleagues and and his family well beyond their normal
distinctions and the class medal in 1954. implement them the next time. Many “expiry” dates. He simply could not resist
Mike stayed on at UCT after his students tell stories of their fondness for, tinkering and fidgeting with anything
studies, starting as a Junior Lecturer in and appreciation of, his teaching and that was not working properly until it
the Department of Civil Engineering in the impact he had made on their choices was as good as new. Mike’s hobbies (other
1955. He spent the rest of his career at of specialisation after completing their than always inventing teaching aids and
UCT – dedicated to the teaching of many studies. His total commitment to the demonstration models) included reading
generations of civil engineering students. education of his students was rewarded and walking with his dogs in and around
He only took occasional breaks from with UCT’s Distinguished Teacher Award Cape Town.
academia to gain practical experience in 1989. Mike is survived by his wife Shirley
and sharpen his engineering skills – he Many former students also paid (married in 1958) and two sons – Andre
worked briefly as a Researcher for the tribute to Mike for being “an outstanding (born in 1967) and Marius (1969).
CSIR Road Research Laboratory (1960), teacher”, “a thorough professional” and for
and as a Bridge Engineer for Ninham the lasting positive impact he had made
Nic Marais Pr Eng
Shand (1969 and 1976). on their careers.
Mike became a Lecturer, then Mike’s research interests started With input from UCT colleagues
with transport (research in road traffic particularly Prof Mark Alexander
Senior Lecturer and finally an Associate
[email protected]
Professor in civil engineering until he and safety) and included hydraulics (silt

54 September 2020  Civil Engineering

Letters
Some Employers write out common law
provisions, such as Contra Preferentum,
in their variations. One of our large public
authorities issues a variation document
that is longer than the actual General
Conditions document.

Bryan Westcott Pr Eng, FSAICE, MICE

Overbilling
DIFFERENT TYPES OF Cash flow determines the ability of a
[email protected]

Contractor to perform his obligations. If

UNETHICAL BEHAVIOUR IN THE the Employer does not include an upfront
financing payment provision, a Contractor GRINAKER-LTA:
CIVIL ENGINEERING INDUSTRY may be obliged to front-end load particu-
Civil Engineering, July 2020, pages 7 – 11 larly when considering late payments and RE‑ENGINEERED FOR SUCCESS
retentions that exceed the Contractor’s Civil Engineering, August 2020, pages 6 – 8
Gregory Skeen’s initiative on ethics, profit margin. Employers should provide a
as outlined in the July issue of Civil reducing payment guarantee, the collateral The resuscitation of the
Engineering, is sorely needed. being the funds they (should) have avail- construction industry
The relationships in civil engineering able to pay the Contractor. During my six and a half decades-long
construction projects are very much engineering career I have seen the con-
like a tripod – remove one leg and the Change order games struction of major infrastructure projects
level platform collapses. The three legs In our tender system, a tenderer must only incrementally shifting from being carried
are the Employer, the Contractor, and price what the document calls for. If he out primarily by public sector departmental
the Employer’s Agent (Designer). Ethical prices for other items missing from the construction units to private sector con-
behaviour should apply equally to all three. tender enquiry, he will never win a tender. tracting companies.
It seems that current opinion is that ethics A Contractor should not be penalised for During the early stages of this process,
only applies to the Contractor (this stands the Employer’s poor document preparation. companies which were later to become
out in the article) and to a lesser degree, the international role payers, started out on a
Employer’s Agent. No mention is made of Claim games small scale, developing as they went along
the Employer. It is akin to a boxing match As in the point above, if the enquiry docu- in an environment of strong government
in which one boxer (Contractor) must fight ment is poorly prepared or the Employer investment in infrastructure. Many of them
according to the Queensbury rules while changes his mind on the scope, he must were managed and staffed with previously
the other (Employer) can fight in “no-holds- be prepared to pay the consequences. public sector engineers and site personnel.
barred” mode. The Umpire (Employer’s Rejecting claims due to unreasonable Unfortunately, during the past decade or
Agent) is in the pay of the latter and his application of the time-barring provisions so government has to a large extent disin-
loyalty follows accordingly. All three legs in a document is unethical, particularly vested in the provision of major infrastruc-
generally employ engineers who should when the late submission of a claim causes ture projects. The unfortunate result has
impose ethical behaviour. no prejudice to the Employer. Employers been the demise of some major construction
I would like to comment on the nine deliberately play the time-barring card by companies. This is why I am heartened to
forms of unethical behaviour as it applies lulling Contractors into a false sense of se- learn in the August Civil Engineering edition
to Employers. curity that their claims will be considered. of the ‘resuscitation’ of the now defunct
Aveng group, under the name of GLTA, em-
Money laundering
Bribery and fraud bracing the expertise of LTA and Grinaker,
This applies to all parties.
These apply across the board to all previous construction companies, both of
Parties, and much has been written in the Cover pricing whom played a major role in the physical
media about this scourge. Employers bring this on themselves by development of the country.
excluding potential tenderers from future I trust and hope that the apparently
Extortion work if they do not submit a competitive changed viewpoint of government regarding
QQ Employers insisting that legitimate qual- the importance of investment in infrastruc-
bid every time.
ifications in tenders must be withdrawn, ture towards the country’s economic and
or the tender will not be considered. Late payment social development will see a similar growth
QQ Demanding concessions during final This should also be considered as un- in the capacity and expertise of new con-
closure/BAFO negotiations. ethical behaviour. struction groups eventually able to handle
the needs which I hope will arise.
Tender rigging Other examples
The equivalent unethical behaviour by Other examples of unethical behaviour Dr Malcolm Mitchell Pr Eng, FSAICE
Employers is playing tenderers off against by Employers include varying the General
[email protected]
each other. Conditions of Contract in their favour.

Civil Engineering  September 2020 55

 SAICE Training Calendar 2020
Course Name Course Dates Location CPD Accreditation No Course Presenter Contact
14–16 October 2020 Online
SAICE Suite of General Conditions
SAICEEL20/02694/23
of Contract for Construction Works: 26–28 October 2020 Online Benti Czanik [email protected]
Credits: 2.5 ECSA
GCC, SGCC and GCCSF 2015–2018
18–20 November 2020 Online
Earthmoving Equipment, Technology
SAICEEL20/02719/23
and Management for Civil Engineering 25–27 November 2020 Online Prof Zvi Borowitsh [email protected]
Credits: 3 ECSA
and Infrastructure Projects
SAICEtr19/02561/22
Practical Geometric Design 23–27 November 2020 Midrand Tom Mckune [email protected]
Credits: 5 ECSA

SAICE / Candidate Academy

Getting Acquainted with General CESA-1575-04/2022 lizelle@saicepdp.org
19–20 October 2020 Online Theuns Eloff
Conditions of Contract (GCC2015) Credits: 2 ECSA [email protected]
Getting Acquainted with Road CESA-1576-04/2022 lizelle@saicepdp.org
16–17 November 2020 Online Theuns Eloff
Construction and Maintenance Credits: 2 ECSA [email protected]
Getting Acquainted with CESA-1577-04/2022 lizelle@saicepdp.org
13–14 October 2020 Online Andrew Brodie
Sewer Design Credits: 2 ECSA [email protected]
Getting Acquainted with Planning, SAICEcon20/02673/23
lizelle@saicepdp.org
Scheduling and Programming for 26–27 October 2020 Online (online) Theuns Eloff
[email protected]
Construction Projects Credits: 2 ECSA
Road to Registration for Mature
lizelle@saicepdp.org
Engineers, Technologist and 24 November 2020 Online N/A Stewart Gibson
[email protected]
Technicians

SAICE / Computational Hydraulics Int (CHI)

Surface Water and Integrated 1D-2D Chris Brooker
SAICEwat17/02197/20 Meghan Korman
Modelling with EPA SWMM5 and 27 October 2020 Johannesburg Onno Fortuin
Credits: 1 ECSA [email protected]
PCSWMM – 1 Day Robert Fortuin
Surface Water and Integrated 1D-2D Chris Brooker
SAICEwat17/02198/20 Meghan Korman
Modelling with EPA SWMM5 and 27–28 October 2020 Johannesburg Onno Fortuin
Credits: 2 ECSA [email protected]
PCSWMM – 2 Days Robert Fortuin
Surface Water and Integrated 1D-2D Chris Brooker
SAICEwat17/02199/20 Meghan Korman
Modelling with EPA SWMM5 and 27–29 October 2020 Johannesburg Onno Fortuin
Credits: 3 ECSA [email protected]
PCSWMM – 3 Days Robert Fortuin

SAICE / South African Road Federation (SARF)

SAICEtr20/02606/23 [email protected]
Assessment and Analysis of Test Data TBC TBC R Berkers
Credits: 2 ECSA [email protected]
Concrete Road Design and SAICEtr19/02472/22 B Perrie [email protected]
7 October 2020 Midrand
Construction Credits: 1 ECSA Dr P Strauss [email protected]
C Brooker
SAICEtr20/02608/23 [email protected]
Stormwater Drainage TBC TBC Dingaan Mahlangu
Credits: 4.5 ECSA [email protected]
Alaster Goyns
Traffic Signals Design and Intesection SAICEtr20/02607/23 [email protected]
TBC TBC Dr John Sampson
Optimisation Credits: 2 ECSA [email protected]
HDM4 (The Highway Development SARF20/HDM4-2/23 [email protected]
TBC TBC Prof Alex Visser
and Management) Credits: 3 ECSA [email protected]
Perspective on Traffic Impact Steven Sutcliffe [email protected]
TBC TBC SARF17/TIA01/20
Assessment Prof Mark Zuidgeest [email protected]

SAICE / Classic Seminars

Susan Russell
SAICEproj18/02374/21
Project Management Foundations TBC TBC Martin Bundred [email protected]
Credits: 3 ECSA
Elridge Ntini
SAICEproj18/02259/21 Philip Russell
Earned Value Management TBC TBC [email protected]
Credits: 1 ECSA Andrew Holden
SAICEproj18/02360/21
Advanced Project Risk Management TBC TBC Elmar Roberg [email protected]
Credits: 2 ECSA
In-house courses are available. To arrange, please contact:
Cheryl-Lee Williams ([email protected]) or Dawn Hermanus ([email protected]) on 011 805 5947.
For SAICE-hosted Candidate Academy in-house courses, please contact:
Dawn Hermanus ([email protected]) on 011 805 5947 or Lizélle du Preez (lizelle@saicepdp.org) on 011 476 4100.

Register online: www. saice.org.za

56 September 2020  Civil Engineering

 Civillain by Jonah Ptak:
I’d like to thank everyone who stood by me
For more engineering humour, please visit “Unreal Bridges” on Facebook and “@TheUnrealBridge” on Twitter.

Civil Engineering  September 2020 57

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