Smooth road ahead

Officially launching the upgrade of the John Ross Highway and West Central Arterial Intersection in Richards Bay on Wednesday were BHP Billiton Aluminium SA Project Director - Danie Murray, uThungulu District Mayor - Stan Larkan, uMhlathuze City Mayor - Zakhele Mnqayi and BHP Billiton Aluminium SA Asset President - Gustav Griessel

BHP Billiton Aluminium SA Asset President - Gustav Griessel says about 700 000 tonnes of final metal product is transported to the harbour through the John Ross Highway/West Central Arterial intersection

New John Ross Highway overpass boosts safety

Motorists on the busy John Ross Highway will be assured of a safer traffic flow as a major upgrade of the West Central Arterial intersection (Foskor robots) gains momentum. The construction will see link roads and an overpass built above the John Ross Highway by May 2011. Totally funded by BHP Billiton Aluminium SA in the interest of traffic safety, the R75-million project was officially launched during a sod turning ceremony at the site in Richards Bay on Tuesday. With some 704 000tpa of solid metal delivered from the smelter to the Port and 90 000tpa maximum of hot metal escorted between Bayside and Hillside, the upgrade to the road is aimed at mitigating any future risks. The present John Ross/West Central Arterial intersection is extremely dangerous and the present doubling of the highway is expected to add to the traffic complexity and risk. The company currently boasts a zero-incident record of transferring molten metal from the Hillside Smelter to Bayside and solid metal to the harbour. However, the aluminium giant still decided on an additional safety measure of an overpass road bridge. ‘The early works are already complete and we are about to start with the bridge across the John Ross Highway,’ said BHP Billiton Aluminium SA Asset President, Gustav Griessel. ‘This project will leave a positive legacy in the community we operate in long after we are gone. ‘Safety will be improved by the overpass and link roads, especially as harbour-bound traffic will not cross the John Ross Highway. ‘The upgrade improves the safety of all road users not only for BHP Billiton but also for local communities,’ said Griessel.

Public-Private
uThungulu District Mayor, Stan Larkan praised the public-private partnership adding that a significant number of workers in the Richards Bay area travelled on the road using public transportation from municipalities such as Ntambanana, uMlalazi and Mthonjaneni. ‘This overpass is not just a concrete path for the transport of metal. ‘It is a symbol of what impact companies like BHP Billiton can have on the communities that reside alongside them. ‘The design of the intersection takes into consideration molten and solid metal transfer as well as general traffic, which gives a benefit to all public road users and not just the company in isolation,’ said Larkan. Phase one construction of the link road between Hillside and the new Foskor entrance, will be completed by the end of July. Phase two will see the building of the overpass road from the smelter towards the Port, while Phase three entails an on-ramp to the highway. The entire construction is scheduled for completion by May 2011.