The South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) is looking for a new contractor to work on the N2 upgrade in KwaZulu-Natal.
The announcement comes after Sanral was forced to terminate its contract with the contractor originally assigned to do the job because they failed to source materials as specified in the agreement and ultimately filed for business rescue which saw the firm being sequestrated. Ridhwaan Mahomed, Sanral Eastern Region project manager, says the agency’s primary purpose is to provide a safe and efficient national road network for the benefit of all the people. “In order for us to ensure that a reliable and resilient road has been constructed, quality control is of utmost importance,” he notes. “Sanral has to ensure that all construction activities are in compliance with the specifications as set out in the contract to ensure that construction is undertaken to the highest standards. The contract documents also specify, amongst others, the minimum test results required to be achieved from various quality tests undertaken by an accredited laboratory,” he explains.Sub-par materials
Mahomed adds that the constructed pavement layer using the material from local material suppliers being used on the N2 project did not meet the required specifications. “There are three probable reasons why the pavement layer failed. Firstly, the supplier may have supplied incorrect material; secondly the contractor could have contaminated the material while processing and placing it on site; and thirdly, the material could have broken down during compaction of the layer.” He says Sanral attempted to assist the contractor with a revised pavement design so as to limit the contractor’s additional costs for removing and replacing the material.
