By David Beer on behalf of the Concrete Manufacturers Association
Brownstone coarse-exposed aggregate pavers, supplied by Concrete Manufacturers Association member, C.E.L. Paving Products, have formed part of the rehabilitation of Trunk Road 31, a 13.4km pass which cuts through Cogmanskloof situated between Ashton and Montagu on the Western Cape’s renowned R62 route between Oudtshoorn and Robertson. In addition, the pavers were used to resurface extensive sections of sidewalks along the main thoroughfares in Ashton and Cogmanskloof pass.
C.E.L. also supplied its 80mm Terracotta interlocking pavers for the construction of four raised intersections on Ashton’s main road.
The project was undertaken and funded by the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works to improve traffic and pedestrian safety and to enhance the flood capacities of the bridges along the route.
H&I Civil Engineering (Pty) Ltd was appointed as principal contractor of the project which commenced at the beginning of March 2019 and reached completion in May 2022. It involved resurfacing Trunk Road 31 which skirts the scenic Cogmanskloof River, and included various ancillary works such as the construction of sidewalks and rest areas on some sections of the pass road.
Furthermore, the project involved the erection of three new bridges, two of them straddling the trunk road, and the other, the iconic cable-tied arch bridge, spanning the Cogmanskloof River in Ashton. The old bridge had been repeatedly damaged by flooding and silting and no longer fulfilled its functional purpose. The new bridge accommodates four lanes of traffic and is flanked on either side by sidewalks surfaced with C.E.L.’s exposed aggregate paving.
Approximately 15 000m² of the exposed aggregate pavers were used in Ashton and Cogmanskloof along Trunk Road 31. Additionally, 3 700m² of the Terracotta 80mm interlocking pavers were laid to seal the four raised intersections on Ashton’s main road. The interlockers rest on a 300mm cement-stabilised sub-base topped with a 150mm G1 sub-base course, and a 20mm layer of bedding sand.
Consulting engineers, AECOM SA (Pty) Ltd, were responsible for the design and project management elements of the overall project. As the principal contractor, H&I Civil Engineering was responsible for the project’s entire construction program.. The physical paving work was undertaken by three sub-contractors: Hydro Cape Turf surfaces, Suku Nikizela and Zimele Civils and Plant Hire. All the unskilled labour for the paving work was sourced locally in Ashton and Montagu as was Hydro’s skilled labour complement.
H&I’s Civil Engineer responsible for the project’s Emerging Contractor Development program, Yamkela Hlehliso, said that he was very happy with the quality of pavers supplied by C.E.L.
“The exposed aggregate pavers look like natural stone and blend perfectly with the folded sandstone crags and rock facing features of Cogmanskloof, “said Hlehliso.
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