George engineering projects lauded
Two George Municipality civil engineering services projects have made the finals of the national South African Institute of Civil Engineering (SAICE) awards. Both projects also scooped the regional SAICE awards in August last year.
The Thembalethu pipe bridge number 5 over the Schaapkop River reached the finals in the technical excellence category and won the Southern Cape award for the most outstanding civil engineering achievement in 2018: community-based project. The professional team was Aurecon, the main contractor Entsha Henra and the main subcontractor Uhrwebo e-Transand.
The pipe bridge project was completed in January 2018 and forms part of the third phase of the municipality’s bulk sewerage upgrades to service the Thembalethu upgraded informal settlement programme (UISP). Its construction allowed for the development of about 2 800 erven that had been held back until the necessary bulk sewer infrastructure was in place. A stipulation of construction was that the 65-metre long bridge would not negatively impact on the only indigenous forest left in Thembalethu in the steep river valley 17 metres below it. To further minimise impact, concrete barriers were constructed on the bridge to prevent pedestrians crossing.
The new 12,5-megalitre water reservoir at the George old water treatment works in Denneoord, reached the finals in the technical excellence category of the national awards and won the Southern
Cape award for the most outstanding civil engineering achievement 2018: institutional project - structural engineering project. The professional team was Royal HaskoningDHV and the main contractor Uhrwebo e-Transand.
The new reservoir was completed in June 2018 and had to be constructed between two existing smaller reservoirs, which had to remain fully operational during the 24-month construction period. The old service lines also had to be relocated and the new pipework had to be designed to accommodate future extensions. All pipe connections had to be well planned and executed out of peak periods - mostly at night - to minimise interruption to water supply. The site is now the main source of storage and distribution of potable water to George.
George municipal manager Trevor Botha said the municipality is proud to provide quality infrastructure to its citizens that would serve communities for decades to come. “These projects are excellent examples of engineering innovation and of highquality infrastructure constructed under challenging and restricted environments. We are privileged to have access to service providers of quality that can innovate, be environmentally aware and plan with the future and the community in mind.”