Umgeni Interchange project clinches prestigious Fulton Award for Hatch Goba
 | Umgeni Interchange project clinches prestigious Fulton Award for Hatch Goba | 15.53 KB | Download |
 Preview | A panoramic overview of the Umgeni Interchange upgrade project. | 2.39 MB | Download |
 Preview | Construction began in March 2011, with completion expected by end July 2015. | 1.94 MB | Download |
 Preview | The winning Hatch Goba and SANRAL team at the Fulton Awards 2015 (full names in press release). | 1.53 MB | Download |
Organised by the Concrete Society of South Africa, the biennial awards recognise excellence and innovation in the design and use of concrete. The winners were announced at a gala evening on 6 June 2015.
Hatch Goba was originally appointed by the South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) in 2009 to complete the detailed design and relevant documentation for the extensive upgrade of the interchange. Construction commenced in March 2011 and is expected to be complete at the end of July 2015.
“This is a great achievement for the entire team as the Fulton Awards is a national event that represents the Oscars of the concrete industry in South Africa. I wish to extend our heartfelt appreciation to everyone involved in this complex and high-profile project,” John McCall, Hatch Goba, manager: roads & transportation, KwaZulu-Natal, comments.
“Umgeni Road has been a major transport hub for decades, and has seen considerable urban development over the years,” McCall explains. This meant that a major consideration was to minimise traffic disruption during the construction phase along the N2 and M19 major routes.
Another constraint was posed by the Umgeni River, along with existing commercial and residential areas that had to be accommodated. To overcome these challenges, two directional ramps were built by means of the ‘incremental launch’ construction method.
This entailed the entire bridge deck being built from one end of the structure, as opposed to the traditional segmental construction method where the bridge is built one span at a time. “The application of this innovative technology had a substantial impact on the construction requirements, as well as minimising traffic disruption,” McCall notes.
The overall bridge works were 1 200 m long, with a surface area of 14 000 m2. The roadworks alone comprised 56 000 m2 of asphalt, while the bulk earthworks totalled 100 000 m3 of cut material and 200 000 m3 of fill material.
Another major challenge was posed by the fact that a large quantity of existing services not only had to be relocated, but had to be searched for and identified. These ranged from electricity, Transnet and water reticulation to sewerage and telecommunications infrastructure. “This was an exceptionally demanding and challenging process,” McCall adds.
Hatch Goba and SANRAL have been collaborating successfully for a number of years on such flagship projects as the Gillooly’s Interchange in Johannesburg, one of the largest and busiest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.
“Our experience, combined with our in-depth expertise in terms of project management, led to this major project being completed within budget. It has not only brought world-class transportation infrastructure to the greater Durban area, but has set an international benchmark for similar projects in future,” McCall concludes.
CAPTION FOR GROUP PHOTOGRAPH
From left to right: Gary Williams, Rumdel JV; project manager: Gary Hooper, Hatch Goba Structures KZN; Lead: Ashley Sewmungal, Hatch Goba; Assistant Resident Engineer: Ravi Ronny, SANRAL; design and construction head: Freek Serton, Hatch Goba; project lead: Edgar Dube, SANRAL; project manager: John McCall, Hatch Goba; project manager: Ian Jackson, Hatch Goba, resident engineer.
Ends
Notes to the editor
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About Hatch Goba
Hatch Goba supplies process and business consulting, information technology, engineering, procurement and project and construction management and operational services to the mining, metallurgical, energy and infrastructure industries.
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