Roads are taken for granted without acknowledging their vital contribution to various aspects of society’s wellbeing. How effectively we manage our national highways is key to the quality of the environment we live in. The importance of Routine Road Maintenance (RRM) is generally underestimated in the preservation of the road infrastructure asset. At SANRAL, RRM is used, inter alia, both for the longevity of the national highway system and for the development of small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs).
The RRM programme was established on the national road network in 1998 which at the time had a length of 6748km, and has since expanded to well over 16000km. Every metre of the road network is covered by a routine road maintenance project, which has as its primary objective the provision of a safe road environment to all road users. Daily inspections by route patrols allow for the identification of possible hazards and the implementation of appropriate action, within the shortest possible time.
This manual combines the skills and knowledge that SANRAL and its partners have developed over the years. It is a tool to assist those involved in RRM to identify remedial actions to be taken to preserve and render the road safe.
The SANRAL RRM Programme by its very nature offers opportunities for the development of SMMEs. It is a Condition of Tender that a major portion of the works is set aside for SMMEs. The proportion of works (either 80% or 60%) to be set aside for SMMEs is dependent on the size of the Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment participation of the main contractor.
Subcontractors with minimal capital cost, technical and entry requirements, provide an ideal incubator for the economic empowerment, development and training for the “larger” contractors of tomorrow.
Furthermore, RRM plays an important role in implementing the Incident Management System to clear the roadways of any obstruction and to restore traffic flow to normality as quickly as possible.
