REPORT 6: INDIVIDUAL CASE STUDY REPORT

SUSTAINABILITY AND IMPACT OF SUBSURFACE DRAINAGE SYSTEMS

AND ASPHALT SURFACING

By

van der Westhuizen, G

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the Module

INTEGRATED CIVIL ENGINEERING DESIGN PROJECT

In the

Department of Civil Engineering

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

TSHWANE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

Course Co-ordinator: Dr. Chris Ackerman

5 May 2020

DECLARATION BY CANDIDATE

I hereby declare that this investigation submitted for the Integrated Civil Engineering Design

Project module at Tshwane University of Technology is my own original work and that all

sources cited or quoted are indicated and acknowledged by means of a comprehensive list of

references.

1|Page
Signature
van der Westhuizen, G

Contents
INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................................3
Background..................................................................................................................................3
Analysis of the engineering activity..............................................................................................6
Evaluation the engineering activity...............................................................................................9
Mitigation proposals.....................................................................................................................9
References.................................................................................................................................10

Figure 1 Arial view of Zonkolol road(R495) just outside Rayton..................................................4

Figure 2 Corrugated gravel road..................................................................................................5
Figure 3 Detailed cross section of road (1)..................................................................................5
Figure 4 Detailed cross section of road (2)..................................................................................5
Figure 5 Further detail of subsurface drainage cross section......................................................6

2|Page
INTRODUCTION
According to (Burger, 2019) the definition of transport engineering is the application of
scientific principles to the planning, design, operation, and management of transportation
systems. It is organised around the society’s needs to provide an adequate transportation
system and involves interaction with many other disciplines. Engineering has risk associated
with the type engineering that is done each type of engineering has different types of risks
associated with them.
A community of people and the economy will gain benefits of Engineering activities in the form
of infrastructure, services and goods. The most important aspect of Engineering is that it
involves the capturing or controlling of natural forces or also the control and use of information
gathered. The actions built into engineering activity have going along with risks. These risks
must be lessened to a level acceptable to the affected parties. The management of risk going
along with engineering activity is the very reasons for the regulation of the line of work.
A few dangers are notable and comprehended and the methods for tending to them might be
exemplified in guideline or regulations. Different circumstances may not happen much of the
time, may happen just because with the utilization of new innovation and may not in result be
directed. Dangers may have target specialized measures while others are dependent upon the
judgment of people and networks. Some might be moral. The capacity to survey and manage
every single winning danger is necessary to the competency of a designing expert
BACKGROUND

Figure 1 Arial view of Zonkolol road(R495) just outside Rayton

On 30 April 2020, GD Civil Engineers was approached by the Rayton community to design and
construct the subsurface drainage and asphalt surfacing on the Zonkolol(R495) road. An
asphalt surface is very needed on this specific gravel road. Alongside this road there is a lot of
businesses and farms that contribute a big deal to the community. An asphalt road with
sufficient subsurface drainage is the best way forward. Due to the corrugation and washed
away surface on most of the road, there has been a lot of accidents. There has also been a lot
of complaints about the dust on the road which reduces visibility, especially at night. At the
3|Page
moment the road holds a great danger in for the community and their cars that is being
damaged because of the poor conditions of the road.

Figure 2 Corrugated gravel road

Figure 3 Detailed cross section of road (1)

4|Page
Figure 4 Detailed cross section of road (2)

Figure 5 Further detail of subsurface drainage cross section

ANALYSIS OF THE ENGINEERING ACTIVITY

As all projects there are benefits and limitations involved to the society. For time being there is
no benefit for society as the the road will partly be closed. This will be inconvenient for some
but there is an alternative solution in place. The benefit to the society is that there will be a
newly constructed asphalt road, making opportunities for trading bigger. Analysis of the
engineering activity was done in terms of the impact on occupational and public health and
safety and the impact on the physical environment.
OHASA(OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY ACT (85 OF 1993)):
Section 15-Duty not to interfere with, damage or misuse things
“No person shall intentionally or recklessly interfere with, damage or misuse anything which is
provided in the interest of health or safety.”
Section 24- Report to inspector certain incidents

5|Page
“Each incident occurring at work or arising out of or in connection with the activities of persons
at work, or in connection with the use of plant or machinery”
Section 39-Proof of certain facts
“Notwithstanding the provisions of section 31 (3) of the Standards Act, 1993 (Act No. 29 of
1993), whenever in any legal proceedings in terms of this Act the question arises whether any
document contains the text of a health and safety standard incorporated in the regulations
under section 44, any document purporting to be a statement by a person who in that
statement alleges that he is an inspector and that a particular document contains the said text,
shall on its mere production at those proceedings by an person be prima facie proof of the
facts stated therein.”

Section 44- Incorporation of health and safety standards in regulations

 “The provisions of section 31 of the Standards Act, 1993 (Act No. 29 of 1993), shall not
apply to any incorporation of a health and safety standard or of any amendment or
substitution of a health and safety standard under this section. ”
 “Any safety standard which was immediately prior to the commencement of this Act
incorporated under section 36 of the Machinery and Occupational Safety Act, 1983 (Act
No. 6 of 1983), in the regulations made under that Act, shall be deemed to be a health
and safety standard incorporated under this section”.

Section 49- Repeal of laws

“ The Machinery and Occupational Safety Act, 1983 (Act No. 6 of 1983), the Machinery and
Occupational Safety Amendment Act, 1989 (Act No. 40 of 1989), and the Machinery and
Occupational Safety Amendment Act, 1991 (Act No. 97 of 1991), are hereby repealed.”

PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY

According to (Health and Safety | Labour Guide, 2020) the following issues is important
regarding public health and safety of the environment :
o Traffic management plan
o Emergency plan
o Pedestrian and vehicle traffic accommodation plan
o Environmental scoping document for construction
o Environmental impact assessment records for construction
o Environmental management plan for construction
o Protocols to minimise dust nuisance
o Protocols to minimise noise nuisance
o Records of decisions for construction work
o Records of decisions for storage of diesel on site
o Records of decisions for storage of chemicals on-site

6|Page
o Records copies of incident investigation reports conducted on the construction site
o Copies of reports to the provincial director for reportable injuries occurring on the
construction site

IMPACT ON THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

o Mortality & Population Declines

When animals cross roads, mortality is often the result. In fact, road mortality is the leading
source of mortality to many wildlife populations

o Habitat Fragmentation & Alteration

This can result from either animals not being able to cross the road without being killed or
through avoidance of the road. Some animals avoid the surface of the road even when there
are no cars driving on it. Birds that typically fly short distances from one tree to the next may
also be hesitant to fly across a large open space, which restricts their movements across
roads. When roads create barriers to movement they can impact animal populations in many
ways. One of these is through prohibiting gene flow. In addition to fragmenting habitat,
constructing a road alters the habitat.
o Pollution
Pollution from roads extends beyond just chemicals, as light and noise pollution from roads
can be detrimental as well. Noise from cars can impact birds by disrupting acoustic
communication and interfering with warning signals, leading to bird population declines in the
proximity of roads. Roads also carry oils from cars that travel across them, which have the
potential to harm wildlife when they enter the environment.
o Vibrations
Vibrations disturb people close to roads but they may also cause damage to buildings and
sensitive equipment. Vibrations, and also noise, can affect local fauna. Moreover, vibrations
can cause damage to geological and archaeological objects.
o Dust
Dust is an almost inevitable consequence of roadwork. Gravel and crushed gravel and hard
rock aggregates always contain a proportion of fines, and if the material is dry, a fairly heavy
dust cloud can be raised when it is mobilized. The resulting dust can disturb both the
population and the local environment.
The personal, social, economic, cultural values and requirements are taken into consideration
for those who are affected by the engineering activity. The excavation process for the
subsurface drainage and the new asphalt road will have an effect on the persons and farmers
living next to the road. The Zonkolol road is approximately a 21km long alternative rout
stretching from Rayton to Cullinan. A lot of the community’s farmers live next to this road so
they and their livestock will be affected by the sound and vibrations of the machinery used.
Footpaths will not be accessible due to construction of the road so farm workers will not be
able to get to work. Due to this and reasons of trading problems the road will not be totally
7|Page
closed. The road will be constructed in parts. We will start constructing from the R515 and
R495 intersection just outside Rayton. The community will still be able to access the road from
the R513 and R495 intersection outside Cullinan. Culturally the grave sites and ZCC churches
will be obstructed during construction but an extra short term gravel road will be constructed
for the access of these premises for time being. There is also a few wedding venues alongside
the road that will be affected. These social and economical values were also taken into
consideration and will also make use of the short term gravel road, but if the other half of the
road from Cullinan is not yet constructed on it will still be accessible. If the R495 is not
accessible from Cullinan the intersection will be opened from Rayton due to the road already
finished and ready for access.

EVALUATION THE ENGINEERING ACTIVITY

The newly constructed road does have an impact on the society, environment, public health,
wild animals and livestock. The current gravel road is mostly used by local residents, farmers,
traders, social and economical organisations and cultural organisations. The gravel road
currently in use causes a lot of frustration for the community. The corrugation on this road is
affecting the riding ability and obstructs the possibility of trading due to poorly road conditions.
Heavy trucks can not make use of the road because of the narrow road. There is also a small
river channelling underneath the road through a culvert. During summer (raining season), this
road is not accessible where the gravel road washed away where drainage system pipes is to
shallowly placed, also where the river flows due to flooding of water coming down and
increasing the water level of the river substantially. The horizontal alignment and sight distance
at certain parts of the road is not according to regulations which led to a few car accidents over
the years which is a big concern for the community and their safety.

The benefit to the society however is that there will be a newly constructed asphalt road,
making opportunities for trading bigger and the subsurface drainage system will channel away
the excess of water on the road. The safety of the road will be substantially lift which is in the
best interest of the community. As all projects there will also be a negative impact on the
society and environment. During the construction of the road there will be a lot of dust building
up and there will be noise because of the heavy machinery used. This will have a negative
impact on the environment and residents living close by. The personal, social, economic,
cultural values and requirements are taken into consideration for those who are affected by the
engineering activity and solutions where made possible for every aspect. The road will be

8|Page
partly constructed to still make the road accessible from another road. The community will still
be able to trade, visit sanctuaries, graveyards, social and economical organisations and
cultural organisations during the construction period and all safety measures will be in place.
MITIGATION PROPOSALS
The main effect of the activity is corrugation, dust, water piling up on the road and the unsafety
of the road. A few measures and regulations was put in place to relieve or terminate the
activity.
1. An alternative route will be made possible to access during the construction of the new
road. When working from the intersection at R515 and R495 the R495 will still be
accessible from the R513 and R495 intersection. The road will also be wide enough to
make use of the lane next to the one in progress later when all machinery and safety
regulations is in place.
2. Safety officers will make sure that all safety measures is met during construction and
that all machinery is in good and effective working condition.
3. Community meetings will be held before and during construction at the Rayton
community hall. The meetings will mainly be about complaints and restraints about the
construction undergoing. All chairpersons will be involved.
4. OHASA training will be given to the community and training with relevance to the project
to those seeking for a job opportunity. We, GD Civil Engineers, would like to decrease
the unemployment statistics in the community, so we will make a lot of job opportunities
available for the community. Those community employees we are impressed with will
get a scholarship to go and study further and will get an internship.
5. Warm mix asphalt will be used for the project. It has a quick cool down period which will
allow minimal road closure times according to (Draft TRH8 DESIGN AND USE OF HOT-MIX
ASPHALT IN PAVEMENTS, 1987)

REFERENCES
 Google Maps
 www.tshwane.gov.za/.../Pages/Maps-And-GIS.aspx

 https://www.bing.com/images/search?
view=detailV2&ccid=aJWjqZDX&id=ACBFE6F5CE188B694B02129521C441CF90C1D
51A&thid=OIP.aJWjqZDXLS4D5cOec9RLRAHaE8&mediaurl=https%3a%2f
%2fc1.staticflickr.com

9|Page
 %2f8%2f7282%2f8741992495_cc21e66ff3_b.jpg&exph=683&expw=1024&q=CORRUG
ATED+GRAVEL+ROAD&simid=608034680194401327&selectedIndex=55

 Imesa.org.za. 1987. Draft TRH8 DESIGN AND USE OF HOT-MIX ASPHALT IN PAVEMENTS. [online]
Available at: <https://www.imesa.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/TRH8.pdf> [Accessed 15 June
2020].

 https://www.bing.com/images/search?
view=detailV2&ccid=Op5jHp9V&id=F553F2EA7689D5D29B43F34C83BC36709D459C
CD&thid=OIP.Op5jHp9VYJg14ZLDhJOcXAHaEy&mediaurl=http%3a%2f
%2fwww.cityofbsl.org%2fData%2fSites%2f1%2fmedia%2fdepartments%2fpublicworks
%2fpaving-
1.jpg&exph=430&expw=664&q=Asphalt+Road+Section+Detail&simid=6080293415368
14950&ck=6A772ED8404B99483305C08620CEDFBD&selectedIndex=1&ajaxhist=0

 https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=3W
%2fW3FiG&id=C5E06E35FAC69DD89AB4E1ACC41F1209383F880D&thid=OIP.3W_
W3FiG-V1EdX9S98xdCAHaC_&mediaurl=https%3a%2f
%2fwww.pavementinteractive.org%2fwp-content%2fuploads
%2f2007%2f08%2fFlex_drain.jpg&exph=176&expw=435&q=Subsurface+Drainage+De
sign+on+roads&simid=608025201194372282&ck=273B66EA5B337B3CFCD614C0D7
B643A8&selectedIndex=3&ajaxhist=0

 https://www.bing.com/images/search?
view=detailV2&ccid=IbhfRZEO&id=CBF7691D153B87377710348A5E2148EBEB6CE5
42&thid=OIP.IbhfRZEOdXvlfO9MKedjiQHaFb&mediaurl=https%3a%2f
%2feverythingroads.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2018%2f08%2fSubsurface-
Drainage-ArmyEngineers-
1024x751.png&exph=751&expw=1024&q=Subsurface+Drainage+Design+on+roads&si
mid=607988504956176763&ck=2A25C07C22E10935A25FE72971B3818C&selectedIn
dex=141&ajaxhist=0

 Labourguide.co.za. 2020. Health And Safety | Labour Guide. [online] Available at:
<https://labourguide.co.za/health-and-safety> [Accessed 16 June 2020].

10 | P a g e
 Hill, J., 2020. Roads: Their Environmental Impact | Environmentalscience.Org. [online]

Environmentalscience.org. Available at: <https://www.environmentalscience.org/roads> [Accessed

21 June 2020].

 ROADEX Network. 2020. 4. Environmental Issues Related To Road Management - ROADEX Network. [online]

Available at: <https://www.roadex.org/.../environmental-issues-related-to-road-management>

[Accessed 21 June 2020].

 Wyngaard, D. W. (2018). Construction Principles Notes. Pretoria.

 Burger. (2019). Transportation Engineering I (TRE206B) Notes. Unit 1A, pp. 1-19.

 THE ABOVE IS NOT EXHAUSTIVE. IT IS A GUIDE. YOU CAN EXPAND.

 MAX 10 PAGES IN TOTAL
 INVESTIGATE AN ENGINEERING ACTIVITY IN TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING

11 | P a g e