R21 Highway falling apart ...

[Optimus-Prime]

This morning on my way to work I collected another chip on the windscreen of my car ! The windscreen already looks like something out of a war movie, but I decided I will not change it until I cannot drive safely with it it.
The road between Olifantsfontein and the airport is in such a bad state that you cannot drive in certain lanes, and stones are thrown up every where.
Apart from the 80% of idiot road users using this road, the road itself is now becoming a safety hazard... and SANRAL still expect you to pay for the privilege of driving on this POS !!! But what ticked me off this morning, was a news item that SANRAL did not spend 50% of their allocated budget for road maintenance. The idiocy of this government and its agents is unbelievable... !

[Estee]

Is it not gravel dropped from trucks? Lots of construction along that route

[Alan Ellis]

I drive the R21 and R24 on a daily basis. Windscreen chips aplenty.

I drive with a roll of wide sellotape in the cubby. As soon as humanly possible, I wipe clean around the chip and stick a piece of clear tape over the chip.

When I have 3 or 4 chips (also dependent on where the chip / chips are), I phone my chip repairer and he comes to my house and repairs the chips. 99,9% of the time, you cannot even see where the chip was.

Key is to cover the chip with sellotape ASAP so that no dust / air / water goes in and a crack starts running.

(I also see you get round clear stickers from windscreen replacement places to stick over a chip.)

Will gladly share the number of the chip repairer should you wish to give him a call.

[pieter_fourie]

Between pomona and airport I replaced my 7th windscreen this year on friday

[Tom13]

I also travelled it last night and got a ping from a stone on the side of my car. No Estee, the top layer is coming away bit by bit. I really feel sorry for my platkar travelling that road.

What did South Africa have before gravel roads - tarred roads, sad but true.

[mudgrubber]

I also travelled it last night and got a ping from a stone on the side of my car. No Estee, the top layer is coming away bit by bit. I really feel sorry for my platkar travelling that road.

What did South Africa have before gravel roads - tarred roads, sad but true.

Hmm, I am sure there are more knowledgeable people than I on the forum but sounds like it could be a poorly constructed, old or badly designed seal (bitumen emulsion and bitumen coated smallish stone) applied as part of the maintenance or rehabilitation of the surfacing. These things are somewhat specialized and need experienced design and application. I will say no more.

[280iNyati]

Hmm, I am sure there are more knowledgeable people than I on the forum but sounds like it could be a poorly constructed, old or badly designed seal (bitumen emulsion and bitumen coated smallish stone) applied as part of the maintenance or rehabilitation of the surfacing. These things are somewhat specialized and need experienced design and application. I will say no more.

The R21 was paved with a 20mm UTFC - Ultra Thin Friction Course - on top of the medium asphalt as part of the GFIP Projects

Picture from the web

[Optimus-Prime]

There is no doubt that the build quality was below par, in some places where the strips of tar has lifted, you can see the old painted markings. Normally if a road is resurfaced, the top layer is skimmed off to get the newly applied tar something to attach to. Obviously this was not done so as to maximize profits for the cadres....! A few truckloads of asphalt, slap it on an old road with as little effort as possible and viola, a new modern toll road that the cadres can milk billions from !!!

[4ePajero]

There is no doubt that the build quality was below par, in some places where the strips of tar has lifted, you can see the old painted markings. Normally if a road is resurfaced, the top layer is skimmed off to get the newly applied tar something to attach to. Obviously this was not done so as to maximize profits for the cadres....! A few truckloads of asphalt, slap it on an old road with as little effort as possible and viola, a new modern toll road that the cadres can milk billions from !!!

Maybe the problem was that they used tar?

[Morne - Skip]

Use to replace 3 windscreens min a year when I travelled Pretoria - Boksburg

[280iNyati]

There is no doubt that the build quality was below par, in some places where the strips of tar has lifted, you can see the old painted markings. Normally if a road is resurfaced, the top layer is skimmed off to get the newly applied tar something to attach to. Obviously this was not done so as to maximize profits for the cadres....! A few truckloads of asphalt, slap it on an old road with as little effort as possible and viola, a new modern toll road that the cadres can milk billions from !!!

3x well-known and established Construction Companies constructed the R21 GFIP sections as per an approved design done by a Consulting Engineering Firm and the QA process was run as per ISO

[4ePajero]

3x well-known and established Construction Companies constructed the R21 GFIP sections as per an approved design done by a Consulting Engineering Firm and the QA process was run as per ISO

When was this? Year?

[Morne - Skip]

When was this? Year?

14-16 years ago

[280iNyati]

When was this? Year?

2008 - 2011

[4ePajero]

2008 - 2011

15yrs!
Then that overlay lasted very well!

[280iNyati]

The R21 was widened towards the median, the existing road surface and base course defects were rectified, and the whole width of the road was then paved with 42mm medium asphalt to improve ride quality, followed by the 20mm UTFC layer

[Kix]

A couple of months ago, I was on my way back to the airport with a brand new (sub 500km on the clock) Polo TSI DSG rental.

Got a chip in the windscreen just before the airport.

Not my fault, but I still felt bad.

[Optimus-Prime]

3x well-known and established Construction Companies constructed the R21 GFIP sections as per an approved design done by a Consulting Engineering Firm and the QA process was run as per ISO

In South Africa that means very little. On the contrary, it seems the bigger and more renowned the companies are, the better the chances are for corruption ! There was plenty of rumours about companies like M... & R....

Do you honestly believe that there is nothing wrong with the initial construction of that stretch of road..?

[4ePajero]

In South Africa that means very little. On the contrary, it seems the bigger and more renowned the companies are, the better the chances are for corruption ! There was plenty of rumours about companies like M... & R....

Do you honestly believe that there is nothing wrong with the initial construction of that stretch of road..?

No comment.
You obviously know much more about the industry than I do.

[Optimus-Prime]

No comment.
You obviously know much more about the industry than I do.

No comment.
You obviously cannot answer me.