I am passionate about empowering local and young entrepreneurs.

It gives me great honour to be part of this project that created job opportunities for local residents and emerging CIDB contractors.

The Baden Powell Drive project worth R283 million was awarded to Civils 2000 (Pty) Ltd with a 24-month contract period. It commenced on 12 April 2018 with a scheduled completion date of 14 April 2020.

However, there have been several extensions for reasons relating to extra work to accommodate new City of Cape Town water services, a revision to an access to accommodate a new development, as well as dealing with work disruptions linked to the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Baden Powell Drive, also known as the R310, is a busy arterial road that runs from Muizenberg to Stellenbosch. It is the main access road between Stellenbosch and Cape Town via the N2 and provides access to Cape Town International Airport, the Cape Town Film Studio, industrial hubs, wine farms and various townships. The road is also heavily used by tourists, cyclists and pedestrians, particularly on weekends.

Based on high traffic volumes and the need to rehabilitate the existing single carriageway, my Department’s Road Network Management Branch launched a project in 2018 to upgrade approximately 5km of the R310 between the N2 and Vlaeberg Road within the City of Cape Town and Stellenbosch Municipality. An additional project element was the upgrading of the quarter link at the partial interchange between Baden Powell Drive and Van Riebeeck Road.

The original Baden Powell Drive was constructed in 1970 and consisted of a single carriageway in both directions. A new carriageway was constructed next to the existing road as the northbound carriageway. The existing R310 was rehabilitated as the southbound carriageway.

Traffic along the route fluctuates considerably with high seasonal and weekend peaks because it is one of the main gateways to the Stellenbosch Wine Route area. It is a commuter route between Stellenbosch and Cape Town and carries traffic from Cape Town International Airport. The route is also utilised by pedestrians and cyclists to access employment and leisure opportunities on the surrounding wine farms and residential estates.

The estimated Annual Average Daily Traffic in both directions in 2017 was approximately 16 000, with heavy vehicles accounting for 6% of this volume.

The only street lighting along the road was at the Cape Town Film Studio and De Wijnlanden intersections. For safety reasons and due to the high traffic volumes, street lighting has been installed over almost the full length of the project.

The main items that were executed under the project are as follows:

• Baden Powell Drive was upgraded to a double carriageway by constructing the new carriageway next to the existing road as the northbound carriageway.
• The existing Baden Powell Drive was rehabilitated as the southbound carriageway.
• A new dual carriageway quarter link between Van Riebeeck Road and Baden Powell Drive was constructed.
• A new access road to Faure Village was constructed.
• The access road to Faure Station was relocated.
• A new bridge was constructed on the northbound carriageway of Baden Powell Drive alongside the existing bridge.
• The existing bridge on the southbound carriageway of Baden Powell Drive was rehabilitated.
• A section of Van Riebeeck Road in the direction of Eerste River had to be lowered to get adequate bridge clearance.
• Three agricultural underpasses were constructed and stormwater structures constructed or extended.
• The existing irrigation channel was relocated in sections.
• The terminals of the on and off ramps at the N2 interchange were improved.
• Traffic signals were installed at all major intersections.
• Street lights were installed over almost the full length of the project.

The contractor exceeded the community participation goals (CPGs) of the project in terms of person-days and work opportunities, procurement from targeted enterprises, and the implementation of an Emerging Contractor Development Programme. A total of 90 678 person-days of work were created (as against a CPG target of 60 000), and 394 work opportunities were created (CPG target: 260). A total of R116 million was spent on targeted enterprises (CPG target: R46 million); R23 million was spent on goods and services from local enterprises (CPG target: R11.6 million); and R12 million was spent on emerging contractor development (CPG target: R11.6 million).

It was a requirement of the contract that a significant amount of training be carried out, including environmental awareness, road safety for construction workers, laying underground services, flag operator duties, and basic firefighting.

A total of 378 people were trained in engineering skills for 29 days at a total cost of R450 000, and 648 people were trained in life skills for 13 days at a total cost of R320 000.

My Department has a plan to support the professional development of emerging contractors in the Western Cape so that they can improve their Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) grading. This contract aimed to support the development of emerging contractors with a CIDB grading of 3CE and 5CE.

Civils 2000 participated in the Contractor Development Programme through awarding subcontracts to emerging contractors in the 3CE to 5CE range, following a structured pre-qualification and tender process. Once appointed and on site, these subcontractors were mentored, guided and assisted by Civils 2000 throughout their involvement with the project.

A large part of the process involved the transfer of engineering skills, entrepreneurial skills and generic skills to these emerging contractors.

Five emerging contractors with CIDB gradings of 3CE to 5CE were utilised and carried out work worth a total of approximately R21 million.

Work done by 5CE contractors consisted of the construction of asphalt berms, walkways, paving, gabions and road marking, while work undertaken by 3CE contractors entailed the installation of kerbing and precast culverts.

Improving traveling time and easing congestion remain our priority. We will continue to invest in our roads to make them safe for our road users and for economic purposes.