BEST IN ROAD & BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION
Saied Solomons CEO | Sabita
COMMITTED TO paving excellence Maintaining and expanding South Africa’s paved road network is vital for sustained growth and community well-being. Saied Solomons, CEO, Southern African Bitumen Association (Sabita), expands on opportunities and technical developments. What are your thoughts on industry funding models? SS Given the changes we foresee in the short to medium term, it’s important to introduce a road funding regime that is both equitable and sustainable. This should ideally encompass a usage tariff, which includes distance travelled, mass of vehicle, road space and time of day (to assist with managing congestion). Sabita fully supports the establishment of a transport regulator, which was recently announced. This is a crucial step in setting future road transport usage tariffs, as well as providing clarity
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IMIESA February 2021
for potential investors, be it via the fiscus, public-private partnerships or any form of hybrid approach.
Low-volume road projects are a key government focus in 2021. What are Sabita’s recommendations regarding the best technologies and techniques? If appropriate standard low-volume roads are provided and adequately maintained, this will have definite benefits for communities in terms of business and employment, plus access to basic services like health and education. As a proactive response, Sabita developed an in-depth guideline on the appropriate standards for low-volume roads, which has now been updated and incorporated in Sabita Manual 40. Adopting these guidelines could significantly improve the unit costs of upgrading gravel roads in South Africa. Within this context, it’s important to maximise labour-intensive construction methods and create opportunities for SMME development. Consideration should also be given to the: • incorporation of economic models to evaluate the feasibility of upgrading specific roads, taking into account the socio-economic benefits applicable for the affected communities • adoption of applicable design approaches, with the emphasis on the cost-effective utilisation of available (in situ) material • i mmediate roll-out and implementation of the guidelines on selected roads, which will include the initial training of implementation agencies/ consultants/SMME development.
