Road Construction, Maintenance, Rehabilitation and Stormwater Drainage

Roads are the main means of travel and trade for communities, and they link economic activity to everyday life. They represent very large public investments and are expected to serve for decades. Road condition has a direct effect on vehicle operating costs, travel times, and safety, so proper construction and maintenance means more reliable transport at lower cost.

The sector now faces serious pressure. SANRAL has told Parliament that more than 80% of the national network has passed its original design life, that heavy traffic and prolonged rain are speeding up pavement damage, and that routine maintenance alone is no longer enough to sustain the network. Floods in recent seasons have damaged roads, culverts, and bridges across several provinces, and many provincial and municipal roads were built for much lower flood standards than national roads. Time on the road for repair and rehabilitation is also getting shorter, so work must be done faster, safer, and to a higher quality.

This three-day course gives municipal workers, supervisors, inspectors, contractors, and technicians a practical understanding of how roads are built, drained, maintained, and repaired. It covers the construction process, materials, compaction, and quality control; stormwater drainage; gravel and asphalt roads; pothole and surface repair; road furnishing and guardrails; road markings; safe working and traffic management at roadworks; and rehabilitation, recycling, and new technology. Participants are introduced to the current South African standards and guidelines, as well as to guidance used for roads across Africa, and they work through practical examples from the field.