Sanral operations declared essential service during Covid-19 lockdown

The Routine Road Maintenance (RRM) and toll operations of the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) have been declared an essential service by national government.

Confirmation of this declaration was received last week and Sanral has subsequently informed employees and service providers in order to enable these services to be executed during the lockdown period.

“RRM activities are important to ensure good safety performance of national roads, while toll operations are equally important to ensure seamless mobility and effective traffic and incident management throughout the toll road network of South Africa,” says Sanral CEO, Skhumbuzo Macozoma.

In response to the call by President Cyril Ramaphosa for all South Africans to assist in halting the spread of Covid-19, Sanral has imposed stringent measures at its toll plazas and has reduced the number of toll collectors. Sanral is following the guidelines issued by the Department of Health to ensure the health of its employees as well as essential road users.

Motorists who are deemed essential staff and are travelling on the national roads are encouraged to avoid using cash and to utilise the dedicated credit card and e-tag lanes where possible.

Measures are also in place for a skeleton crew to operate the Freeway Management System (FMS) in order to monitor the road network for rapid and effective incident responses.

All Sanral construction projects have been suspended and locked down with security personnel in place to protect materials and assets, while continuing to operate traffic accommodation facilities.