When the Department of Transport in KwaZulu Natal was commissioned to design upgrades to existing roads in the rural areas of Pietermaritzburg, they soon realised that, due to the condition of the roads, and the number of them, expensive asphalting would not be a viable proposition. Kaytech’s innovative Multi-Cell was then specified as an economical, sustainable and highly effective alternative.
The roads were very narrow, poorly constructed and, worst of all, many of them were on a steep slope. Rainwater gushing down these slopes had caused increased erosion which in turn exacerbated the difficulties experienced by the residents walking to and from their destinations.
Since Multi-Cell is used as an in-situ shuttering to cast continuous interlocking concrete paving and is particularly suitable for use on steep gradients, it was the obvious solution to the problem. Multi-Cell is manufactured from coated, woven, slit film tape strips stitched together to form a honeycomb structure of three-dimensional square cells. These cells may either be filled with topsoil for a vegetated embankment or, as in this project, filled with concrete to provide a concrete shuttering and finished height profile.
One particular road in this area that required urgent rehabilitation was Fafaza Road. By completion of the project, civil engineering contractor, Zamahlobo Trading had installed approximately 1,2km of Multi-Cell 100mm. Several advantages were offered by using Multi-Cell; the concrete infill has built in joints and can be shaped to conform to the finished slope profile; Multi-Cell wall heights provide uniform concrete thickness throughout the road profile, distributing the traffic loads laterally; since Multi-Cell is so quick and simple to install, the contractor was able to create job opportunities in the area by employing unskilled local labour. Minimal machinery was required and very few spoils had to be removed off-site. These factors all contributed to achieving the one-month scheduled time frame for the project.
This top quality Kaytech product has not only solved this road rehabilitation problem but has contributed to the sustainability of this environment and has also assisted in the economy of the area, saving the Dept of Transport a significant amount of money.
