Bakwena announces maintenance programme for 2022

As the custodian of the Bakwena N1N4 Platinum highway, Bakwena carries out regular routine and preventative maintenance to keep its roads in a condition that ensures the safety of all road users.

Road maintenance has economic and social benefits. If roads aren’t well maintained, this can be disastrous for truck drivers, individual motorists, and the country as a whole. It is far cheaper to do regular maintenance than to do major repairs following more serious damage. Bakwena therefore asserts that regular upgrading and maintenance saves the country millions of rands in the long-term.

Following the latest annual inspections it was determined that the base layers in the left-hand lane on portions of the N4 between Kameeldrift and Ga-Rankuwa Interchanges needed major rehabilitation. The detailed design was completed, and an 18-month contract was awarded in 2021 to G4 Civils. Work was scheduled to start on January 18, 2022, with an expected completion date of June 2023.

The rehabilitation involves the extensive removal and reconstruction of layer works, followed by a 40 mm asphalt overlay. During the construction process, the slow lane will be closed in five-kilometre sections for 12 weeks at a time, severely impacting traffic capacity.

Delays can be expected as a result of the lane closures along this stretch of highway, particularly during peak periods. Road users are urged to plan their journeys accordingly to accommodate these delays or make use of alternative routes.

A second rehabilitation project is scheduled to take place on the N1 between Pienaarsrivier and Bela Bela, running from July 2022 until June 2023. The work entails milling and reconstruction of layer works, followed by a 40 mm asphalt overlay. Lane closures will be in place during this process.

“Bakwena takes pride in ensuring that the 385 km it manages under its concession contract is maintained to the highest international standards. The upgrades will enhance the motorists’ driving experience and improve the overall safety of the road surface,” says Solomon Kganyago, chief operating officer of Bakwena.

“Road user safety remains, as always, our top priority and in order to ensure this, we rely on road users to partner with us and adhere to the road signs and traffic accommodation in place, and exercise caution and patience while we undertake these critical rehabilitation works.”

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