BEST IN ROAD & BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION
Avi Bhoora Executive: Construction Materials | AfriSam
QUALITY where it counts
Construction works in progress on the N1 during the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project
Providing multifaceted solutions for SMMEs and top-tier contractors, AfriSam’s 2021 roads market expansion strategy has a dual urban and rural focus. IMIESA speaks to Avi Bhoora, executive: Construction Materials, AfriSam, about the significance of quality materials.
The roads market is expected to grow in 2021. How is AfriSam responding to opportunities? AB With the current market for construction materials down to about a third of what it was at the peak of roadbuilding around 2012, the sector is certainly hoping for improvement in 2021. AfriSam is well placed to serve the market on the upswing, with more capacity that can be brought on stream as and when necessary. With the impact of Covid-19, we expect spatial development will move out from the cities, as will road development. In response to these opportunities, our strategy includes gearing up for more rural work, in addition to our traditional focus on urban centres. This means becoming
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more flexible and mobile in our operations, such as converting equipment to a modular format that can be readily moved to and operated from outlying areas. For roadbuilders who are concerned about their carbon footprint, it is important to have a commercial supply of construction material as close to the road project as possible, reducing emissions from trucking. The challenge here, of unlicensed operators of ‘borrow pits’, will always remain.
What products are offered for cement stabilisation? Road contractors look to AfriSam for solutions to two important aspects of achieving a quality road – modification and stabilisation. When contractors must deal
with lower-quality material on-site – with high clay content and plasticity index – this generally needs to be modified with the use of lime. Higher-quality materials – those ‘bluer’ materials from the underlying rock layers rather than from the overburden – may require additional strengthening through stabilisation. Our Roadstab cement is a popular product in this regard, with its 32.5 classification in terms of SANS 50917-1. Manufactured at our Dudfield and Ulco factories, it is available both in bulk and in bags.
Why are quality aggregates so important for long-term durability? Key to successful roadbuilding is the creation of a sub-base, base and wearing
