Progress on the RRT construction programme despite local challenges

Home » Projects » Progress on the RRT construction programme despite local challenges

The multi-million rand construction programme for the Rustenburg Rapid Transport public transport network has made great headway this year, and continues to create jobs for the local communities, despite a few challenges.

Amogelang Kgoathe, Design and Construction Manager for the RRT, comments, “this has been an intense year of construction activity, and it’s been a process of managing various contracts which are all in different stages of completion.  The Rustenburg public have been extremely patient despite impacts on traffic patterns and we’d like to thank them again for their on-going understanding.”

An update on the RRT road construction programme:

·         On Corridor A or the R104, road works have now been completed as well as the pedestrian and cycle paths and the next stage will be the building of the BRT stations.  The station construction tender is currently at adjudication and construction is likely to start before the end of the year.  This will be the corridor on which the Phase 1A routes will be operating from March 2016.

·         On the R510 (Corridor B), work on the road-over-rail bridge is progressing well, and should be open for use by the middle of 2015.  The considerable road construction from the taxi rank up to the bridge is also on track for completion by the end of 2014, although it must be noted that summer rains do play a considerable role in road construction schedules.

·         The R510 road construction from the rail bridge up to the Boitekong turn off is also underway and on schedule for completion by the end of next year in time for the stations to be built and for Phase 1B of operations to commence.

·         The final section of the R510 bus lanes from the Boitekong up to Kanana commenced in July and will include the rebuilding of the Bospoort Dam bridge to make it higher, wider and longer.   When the dam was re-built in 2009/10 the dam wall was made higher than the bridge and this contract allows us to make the bridge here safer for all road users.  This part of the road construction will be completed by early 2018 and will be used for Phase 2 routes and operations.

“With the start of the latest part of the road construction on the R510, we did have further community engagement over the allocation of jobs.  We’d like to remind all communities that we remain committed to ensuring that local residents are employed and benefit from the infrastructure investment, but that proper channels must be followed,” notes Kgoathe.  “The proper channels for employment opportunities are to ensure that your skills and availability are registered on the labour database with your ward councillor and that if and when jobs become available you will be contacted by the construction company’s Labour Desk Officer.”

Job numbers on the RRT construction programme continue to grow and since the start of the project construction in mid-2012 and a total of 926 jobs have been created on the infrastructure programme as of the end of August 2014.

“Some of the positive news we have recently had includes the granting of our Water Use License, which now allows us to commence work on the two bridges which run over water courses, and we have also just re-negotiated our supply of mine waste materials providing cost effective fill for the road construction,” adds Ms Kgoathe.

According to the RRT, the platinum strike earlier this year had a noticeable effect on the construction programme, as the mine waste was being provided at no cost and being used as fill for the roads.  During the strike, the materials could no longer be accessed, and the project had to source alternative fill material at a cost that impacted on the project finance.   “We are now back on track to be able to recycle mine waste in road construction.”

In addition to the roads and station construction programme, the design of the bus depots will also commence this year.  “The consultants to be appointed will be designing both a temporary depot for our Phase 1A operations, as well as the permanent depots where the new bus operating companies will be located.”