THE PROPOSED UPGRADE OF ROUTE 62 BETWEEN LOUTERWATER (KM 58,60) AND JOUBERTINA (KM 79,00), EASTERN CAPE, SOUTH AFRICA.

The South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL), appointed Guillaume Nel Environmental Consultants (GNEC) to fulfil the requirements in terms of the National Environmental Management Act, 1998 (“NEMA), for the proposed upgrade of Route 62 between Louterwater (km 58,60) and Joubertina (km 79,00), Eastern Cape.

Consequently, Environmental Specialist Consulting Group (ESCG) was appointed to facilitate the Section 38 NID process in terms of the National Heritage Resources Act, 1998 (NHRA).
The proposed development site is a section of Route 62 between km markers 58,60 and km 79,00, between Louterwater and Joubertina, within the Langkloof area in the Eastern Cape Province. The road is an existing surfaced Class 4 category road cross-section with two 3.2 m surfaced lanes and gravel shoulders that vary in width. There are a number of drainage structures on this section of road. These include a bridge, major culverts, minor culverts, side drains and subsoil drainage. The condition of these structures varies from poor to good.

PROPOSED PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The development proposal entails the upgrade of a section of Route 62 from km 58,60 to km 79,00. The upgrade encompasses the following works:
Road Works:
The existing cross-section will be upgraded to a provincial Class 3 cross-section with 3.4 m lanes, 0.9 m surface shoulders and a 0.6 m gravel shoulder per direction.
Two (2) climbing lanes are warranted and will be constructed at the following locations: Eastbound - The incline east of Wabooms River Bridge (approximately 1.1 km) and Westbound - Incline west of Krakeel (approximately 1.0 km).

Turing lanes will be constructed at the following intersections: Right turning lane to DR01811 (Kritzinger Street) at km 77.65 eastbound and right turning lane to DR01819 (Ferreira Street) at km 78.91 eastbound.
Minor alignment changes will be done at certain accesses to improve sight distance. Certain accesses are to be surfaced and edge beams to be constructed where required.
Minor improvements to the vertical and horizontal alignment are to be done at certain sections to improve driver safety. These will include a railway crossing, curve widenings and the Wabooms River Bridge approaches.
Improvement to the horizontal alignment is proposed at certain sections adjacent to existing retaining walls to accommodate a wider cross-section and concrete-lined side drains with subsoil drains.
Improvement to the horizontal alignment is proposed at certain sections adjacent to existing retaining walls to accommodate a wider cross-section and concrete-lined side drains with subsoil drains.

Pavement and surfacing:
Widen the existing road prism and extend culverts as necessary to accommodate an industry-standard provincial Class 3 cross-section. This will result in a surface width of 8.6 m compared to the existing 6.0 - 6.4 m surface width.
Rip and reconstruct the existing base by mixing the existing material with imported G2 quality material and light chemical stabilisation. The result will be a 200 mm lightly stabilised base layer to the required Class 3 cross-section width.
Implement changes to horizontal and vertical curvature with fills and required layer works.
Between km 65.6 and km 66.5 the existing road level will be raised. The layer works will include fill material, selected material, stabilised new C4 subbase and new G2 base.
The layer works of the climbing lanes and widenings at intersections for turning lanes will include fill material.
The final surfacing seal will be a 14 mm Single Seal using bitumen rubber binders as specified in the specifications.

Structural Works:
A fair number of drainage structures are located on this section of road. These include a bridge, major culverts, minor culverts, side drains and subsoil drainage. The condition of these structures varies from poor to good.
Minor culverts are encountered along the R62. These minor culverts are comprised predominantly of pipe culverts.
There are approximately 130 crossing pipe culverts with sizes ranging from 200 mm to 750 mm diameter and in various stages of disrepair.

The following issues regarding pipe culverts were prevalent and will be addressed under this project:
Clearing of waterways obstructed by silt, litter, and overgrown vegetation.
Replacement of collapsing/sagged pipe culverts.
Reconstruction of missing or non-standard inlet and outlet structures.
The flow paths of many pipe culverts are obstructed by silt, overgrown vegetation, and litter, resulting in standing water. These waterways will be cleared, and the inlet and outlet waterways reshaped to allow for efficient stormwater channelling and drainage.
Significant erosion is encountered at the inlet and/or outlet waterway of certain pipe culverts. These inlet and outlet waterways will be lined with concrete or stone pitching on a concrete bed, or gabions be used to prevent further erosion and allow for effective stormwater drainage.
Several pipe culverts are in the process of collapsing or sagging. These collapsed and/or shifted/sagged pipe culverts will be demolished, removed and replaced by minimum 600 mm diameter pipes, for ease of cleaning and maintenance. Collapsing pipes larger than 600 mm diameter will be replaced with the same diameter pipe size as the existing pipes.
New inlet and outlet structures will be constructed at culverts where they are missing in accordance with the SANRAL Standard Plans.
Non-standard inlet and outlet structures are typically constructed with stone and mortar.
Along certain sections of the project route, non-standard drop-inlets were constructed with substandard material such as stone and mortar. These drop-inlets were typically constructed where space was limited between the existing retaining walls and the road edge. Due to the dimension constraint, inlets are typically small, which makes maintenance extremely difficult as was evident by the overgrown vegetation observed in the structures.
The structures which are non-standard, will be demolished and reconstructed in accordance with the SANRAL Standard Plans. To allow for a widened cross-section, certain culverts will have to be extended. Where required, existing inlet and outlet structures will be demolished, culverts extended, and new inlet and outlet structures be constructed in accordance with SANRAL Standard Plans.
Damaged pipe culverts through accesses will be replaced by 600 mm diameter pipes for ease of maintenance and damaged inlet and outlet structures be repaired where possible or demolished and reconstructed in accordance with SARNAL Standard Plans.
New pipe culverts will be installed complete with inlet and outlet structures in accordance with SANRAL Standard Plans, at accesses where required.
A number of larger structures relating to stormwater drainage of the surrounding area are found along this section of the Route 62. These include culverts at Krakeel Tributary 1 at km 65.69, Krakeel Tributary 2 at km 66.70, Krakeel Tributary 3 at km 67.58, Krakeel Tributary 4 at km 68.71 and a bridge at Wabooms River at km 76.52.

Works proposed to major culverts and bridges:
Krakeel Tributary 1 Culvert at km 65,69. The culvert will be extended due to the proposed Class 3 cross-section and changes to vertical alignment in this region. Standing water in the surrounding area results in vegetation growth near the inlet and outlet of the culvert and silting inside the culvert which has to be cleared.
Krakeel Tributary 2 Culvert at km 66,70. The culvert will be extended due to the proposed Class 3 cross-section. Minor repairs are also required.
Krakeel Tributary 3 Culvert at km 67, 58. The culvert will be extended due to the proposed Class 3 cross-section and changes to vertical alignment in this region. Waterways require clearing as well.
Krakeel Tributary 4 Culvert at km 68,71. The culvert will be extended due to the proposed Class 3 cross-section and changes to vertical alignment in this region.
Wabooms River Bridge at km 76,52. The Wabooms River Bridge is a concrete bridge with 3 continuous spans on closed cantilever type abutments with wingwalls and wall type piers. The bridge crosses the Wabooms River at approximately km 76.61 on the R62.
It is proposed to demolish the current 600 mm wide walkway and reconstruct to sufficient width to accommodate a clear 600 mm wide walkway and a new cast in-situ F-shaped parapet, designed to resist the latest SANRAL recommended impact loads installed.
The deck will effectively be widened by 425 mm on each side.
Works on this bridge will also include; replace scuppers during deck widening; Mill off and replace existing surfacing on the bridge deck; Mill off and replace existing surfacing on the bridge deck; provide buried type joints at approach slabs; repair local spalls; seal and repair crack in abutment and wing walls; removal and replacement of existing guardrails; removal of existing; guardrails; removal of existing steel ducts on side of the bridge and installation of new ducts in the bride widening.
Gabion structures are in good condition. Minor repairs are required at two sections of existing gabion structures. Existing gabion structures will be removed at culverts which need to be extended or at fills to be widened due to the new Class 3 cross-section. New gabion structures are required at culverts for erosion protection and adjacent to the existing irrigation channel to contain the fill for approximately 40 m.
Several side drains are located along this section of the R62. The existing side drains are generally in poor to fair condition with most being too shallow and/or overgrown. The existing open side drains will be reshaped to a standard depth of 200 mm below the pavement layers or replaced with concrete-lined side drains with subsoil drains where required.
Along certain section of the R62 new concrete lined side drains with subsoil drainage will be installed to prevent stormwater runoff and the ingress of moisture into the pavement layers. These areas include cuttings and where existing retaining walls are located close to the edge of road surface.
Along certain section of the R62 new concrete lined side drains with subsoil drainage will be installed to prevent stormwater runoff and the ingress of moisture into the pavement layers. These areas include cuttings and where existing retaining walls are located close to the edge of road surface.
Subsoil drains will be installed where concrete-lined side drains are to be constructed with transverse subsoil drainage at all cut and fill transitions. In areas where cuttings are relatively long, transverse subsoil drainage is provided for at regular intervals. The existing subsoil drains will be replaced where required.