Construction World January 2016

ROADS AND BRIDGES

PROS OF CONCRETE STRIP ROADS

South Africa has yet to fully discover and utilise the benefits of concrete strip roads, says Bryan Perrie, MD of The Concrete Institute.

RIGHT: Concrete strip roads can make steep rural farm roads pass- able in all weathers, as illustrated here at the Mountain Zebra National Park near Cradock. FAR RIGHT: Bryan Perrie, MD of The Concrete Institute, acted as consultant for the laying of the wide- spread concrete strip road network in Knysna’s upmarket Pezula Estate. BELOW: Concrete strip roads have been widely used in the upgrading of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park near St Lucia.

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Perrie says concrete strip roads, laid as wheel tracks, are economic and durable and particularly suitable as farm roads or

roads in rural areas. “They can, therefore, be of invaluable use to the agricultural sector as well as communities living in outlying rural areas,” Perrie states. He says although concrete strip roads have proved themselves in many countries, the South African governmental road building sector as well as private land-owners have not yet fully realised the advantages, or fully utilised, concrete strip roads. Such roads are a particularly useful means of making steep rural farm roads passable in all weathers. “In the wet summer months, many potential visitors to inland private game reserves avoid visiting the reserves and lodges with sedan vehi- cles for fear of getting stuck in themud. Concrete strip roads, particularly in very muddy areas, could therefore boost tourism numbers. Strip roads are widely used in, for example, SANParks resorts like the Mountain Zebra National Park

near Cradock, KZN Wildlife Ezemvelo resorts such as in the Drakensberg and at the iSimanga- lisoWetland Park at St Lucia, and at the upmarket Pezula Private Estate near Knysna on the Garden Route,” Perrie, who acted as consultant for the construction of the Pezula strip roads, adds. “Strip roads can be built without expensive or sophisticated equipment and by comparatively unskilled labour that has received just basic instruction. No reinforcement of the concrete is necessary. Furthermore, laying the strip roads can be done in short lengths, so their construc- tion can be slotted in when labour and time are available. “The strip roads can be made relatively skid-resistant simply by wood floating the concrete as a final operation. For a strong

skid-resistant finish, the concrete can be broomed transversely to the direction of traffic to produce a multi- tude of fine grooves across it. Light cars and LDVs can, under normal circumstances, use new concrete strip roads after three days of curing, and trucks of 1,5 ton capacity after 7 days of curing.”