AfriSam and Rumdel have won a prestigious honour at the Construction World Best Projects 2024 Awards for their work on the N3 highway in KwaZulu-Natal.
The two companies were announced as the winners of the Civil Engineering Contractors Category and also received a highly commended in the Specialist Contractors or Suppliers Award, and a highly commended in the AfriSam Innovation Award.
The 4.6 km project between Ashburton and Lynnfield Park used AfriSam’s construction materials, including continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP). AfriSam also supplied more than 50,000 cubic metres of readymix concrete from its Umlaas Road batching plant near Pietermaritzburg. The concrete mix was specifically designed to meet stringent standards, ensuring the road’s resilience and longevity under the new Committee of Transport Officials (COTO) specifications.
This upgrade from jointed concrete pavement (JCP) to CRCP required not only a complete overhaul of existing structures but also the highest levels of material reliability and performance.
Therefore, AfriSam tested each batch met rigorous standards for compressive and flexural strength. The readymix contained AfriSam’s 42.5R composite cement, which also adheres to the project’s environmental targets by integrating recycled content and optimising water usage. The project also saw on-site concrete recycled and used as an interlayer beneath the CRCP, minimising material waste and reducing the environmental footprint.
To ensure the project was up to specification, AfriSam implemented several key quality control measures. These included the use of chilled water for concrete mixing during high ambient temperatures and using an early-warning testing system to provide continuous monitoring.
The project employed more than 680 local workers due to the labour-intensive methods in the CRCP placement with five sub-contractors working on the CRCP alone.
“The N3 highway project stands as a testament to how quality construction materials, combined with community-focused practices, can achieve outstanding results,” AfriSam shared on LinkedIn.
“Through AfriSam’s leading-edge readymix solutions and sustainable practices, the project serves as a model for South Africa’s road infrastructure development, balancing technical excellence with environmental and social responsibility.”
