Local construction, mining, development and engineering group Basil Read reports that the building of a permanent access road for mining exploration company Swakop Uranium’s Husab uranium mine project, in Namibia, is due for completion in April 2014.

The company was awarded the project in November last year and started construction through its Namibian subsidiary on January 8.

“Currently, construction for the R193-million contract is about 3% complete and will take about 15 months to reach completion,” Basil Read roads MD Dave Bennett tells Mining Weekly.

“The road will be 11 m wide and will com- prise one 3.5 m lane in both directions, with a 0.3 m surfaced shoulder and a 1.7 m unsur- faced shoulder,” he says.

Bennett adds that the project will require about 600 000 m3 of earthmoving
and road layerworks.

“The road will start 45 km east of Swakop-mund, on the B2 road, and will continue south-east for 22 km to the future Husab uranium mine processing plant.”

He says the road descends 5 km into the dry riverbeds of the Khan river and then rises again 12 km onto the plateau of the Namib Naukluft Park.

“The project also includes a 2 000 m3 concrete bridge, with eight spans of
20 m each supported on foundations comprising over 600 m of piling. “The 160-m-long bridge structure will be erected over the Khan river, about 14 km from the Husab uranium mine project.

“The bridge will be the longest yet to be constructed in Namibia since the country’s independence in 1990. “Owing to the heavy traffic volumes that are expected on this access road, Cape seal was identified as the best surfacing for the project. “It requires low maintenance and is especi- ally economical to construct in rural environ- ments, compared with the alternative of hot mix asphalt,” Bennett explains.

He states that, to date, progress has been made mainly at the site establishment and with the clear and grub of the first 8 km.

Bennett adds that the terrain is moon-like and difficult to navigate, which means that construction vehicles will have to be equipped with balloon tyres for use in sandy conditions and 4 × 4s will have to be used on rocky terrain sections of the works.

“We will also fit satellite tracking systems on all of our vehicles to track fuel consumption and ignition hours. “This will be monitored remotely through our head office in Johannesburg through a central point in the US,” he says.

Bennett notes that access to water is a big issue and, currently, it has to be drawn from the main Namibian Water Affairs line, as no boreholes may be drilled.

“As the area is a desert region, with a fragile ecosystem, much focus is on protecting the environment, as there are many endangered plant and tree species in the park and riverbeds,” says Bennett.

He adds that the historical sites also need to be protected and that the old Khan mine and railway line form part of the contract. “Owing to the fact that already there is not much left to preserve, every effort is being made not to disturb these sites.”

Bennett states that, where possible, local suppliers are being used, as this is in line with Basil Read’s vision to develop the eco- nomy of the country where works are carried out.

“Over half of the senior staff employed on the project are local Namibians. “We will also make use of local cement, fuel, aggregate, reinforcement and precast suppliers for the construction of this road,” he says.

Bennett adds that Basil Read has not yet appointed any subcontractors, but it is considering Botes & Kennedy Namibia to assist in the bridge construction.

“We will probably use a South African company to do the piling, as there are no companies in Namibia currently that can assist with this,” he says.