SANRAL Terratest (Pty) Ltd
N3 Section 2 (km 3.0 to km 9.0) Background Information Document February
2012
Page 1 of 17
THE PROPOSED INTERCHANGE AND FREEWAY CAPACITY
UPGRADES ON NATIONAL ROUTE 3 SECTION 2 FROM NORTH OF
THE M13 INTERCHANGE (KM3.0) TO SOUTH OF THE HAMMERSDALE
INTERCHANGE (KM9.0)
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT:
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PROCESS
BACKGROUND INFORMATION DOCUMENT
EIA REF: Pending
April 2012
Compiled by: Leanne Miskey of Terratest (Pty) Ltd Contact details: PO Box 794
Hilton 3245 Tel: 033 343 6789 Fax: 033 343 6788 Email: [email protected]
SANRAL Terratest (Pty) Ltd
N3 Section 2 (km 3.0 to km 9.0) Background Information Document April 2012
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WHAT IS THIS ABOUT?
This Background Information Document (BID)
serves to inform all relevant authorities,
stakeholders and Interested and Affected
Parties (IAP) of the proposed project, which
requires Environmental Authorisation (EA). In
this case, the applicant is the South African
National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL)
and the proposed project is the interchange
and freeway capacity upgrades on the N3
Section 2 (km 3.0 to km 9.0). The relevant
role players for the proposed project are as
follows:
APPLICANT SANRAL
CONSULTING ENGINEERS
ILIFA AFRICA ENGINEERS
(PTY) LTD AND LABORA
EST ORA CONSULTING
CC (JOINT VENTURE)
ENVIRONMENTAL
ASSESSMENT
PRACTITIONER (EAP)
TERRATEST (PTY) LTD
COMPETENT AUTHORITY
NATIONAL DEPARTMENT
OF ENVIRONMENTAL
AFFAIRS (DEA)
The proposed project is identified as a listed
activity in terms of the National
Environmental Management Act (Act 107 of
1998), as amended, under Regulation No. R.
544 (Activities 11, 18, 22 and 47) and
Regulation No. R. 545 (Activity 18). The
proposed project therefore requires a full
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
This assessment, conducted by Terratest
(Pty) Ltd, will be submitted to the DEA for
authorisation.
The purpose of this BID is to provide an
overview of the proposal, indicating any
possible impacts already identified, and invite
you to register as an IAP. All IAPs are
afforded the opportunity to indicate their
interest in the project as well as any concerns
or queries.
1. WHAT IS BEING PROPOSED?
It is proposed to construct a direct viaduct over
Sterkspruit Valley and widen the Key Ridge
portion of the N3 Section 2 between km 3.0
and km 9.0.
SANRAL Terratest (Pty) Ltd
N3 Section 2 (km 3.0 to km 9.0) Background Information Document April 2012
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In 2000, a compulsory truck stop was installed
on the northbound carriageway in order to
reduce possible incidences of runaway trucks
and improve road safety for all motorists.
Due to the significant increase in the number of
trucks using the N3, the truck stop is now
causing stacking beyond the M13 on-ramp and
is potentially unsafe for motorists. Furthermore,
the crawler lane after the truck stop drops off at
an undesirable location just short of the
Sterkspruit off-ramp and is on a sharp bend on
a narrow bridge. The design speed for this
portion of the N3 is 90km/h and the current
grade is almost 7%. According to current
minimum design standards (SANRAL), this
section of the N3 has 5 portions that are at
substandard conditions
The proposed route determination and re-
alignment of portions of the N3 Section 2 are
indicated in Appendix A. The proposed
realignment would require the construction of
two viaducts across the Sterkspruit valley,
improving the grade of the N3 in this section to
approximately 3%.
This re-alignment would render a portion of the
existing N3 at the Sterkspruit interchange
obsolete and would therefore be
decommissioned or adapted to service the
immediate vicinity.
2. LOCATION
The site is situated along Section 2 of the N3
between Pietermaritzburg and Durban and is
within the eThekwini Municipality. The
nearest urban areas are Cato Ridge (north of
the project area) and Westville, Durban
(south of the project area).
The approximate start and end co-ordinates
of the assessment area are:
Approximate start of evaluation area
29°45'24.42"S
30°39'55.31"E
Approximate end of evaluation area
29°47'16.19"S
30°43'29.54"E
SANRAL Terratest (Pty) Ltd
N3 Section 2 (km 3.0 to km 9.0) Background Information Document April 2012
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Google Earth Image indicating the start and end points of the project area
Google Earth Image indicating the area earmarked for the viaducts
SANRAL Terratest (Pty) Ltd
N3 Section 2 (km 3.0 to km 9.0) Background Information Document April 2012
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3. GENERAL SITE DESCRIPTION
The project site extends over three Bioresource
Units1, namely Vb15 – Cato Ridge, Wb16 –
Drummond and Yb15 Gillits, which have been
consulted in order to obtain information of the
natural environment.
3.1. Climate
The site is located in the Sub-Tropical Coastal
Belt of KwaZulu-Natal. The average annual
rainfall for the three classifications is as follows:
Vb15 – Cato Ridge 767mm pa
Wb16 – Drummond 823mm pa
Yb15 – Gillits 920mm pa
3.2. Geology and Topography
According to the Concept Design Report
submitted by the project Engineers, the portion
of the N3 to be upgraded traverses three
distinct geological zones, namely:
The Natal Group. These zones are located at
the start and end of the site. The group
typically includes sedimentary rocks comprised
of red-brown coarse grained arkosic to sub-
arkosic sandstone, quartz arenite, micaceous
sandstone, small pebble conglomerate,
subordinate siltstone and mudstone.
1 Department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs and Rural
Development. Bioresource Programme Version 9.
The Mapumulo Metamorphic Suite. This
zone is located over the middle portion of the
road section and predominantly south of the
road. The group typically includes metamorphic
rocks comprising of biotite gneiss, biotite-
hornblende gneiss, subordinate politic schist
and gneiss, calc-silicate rocks and granulite.
Megacrystic Biotite Granite. This zone is
located also over the middle portion of the road
section but slightly north of the N3. The zone
typically includes intrusive rocks comprising
megacrystic biotite granite, megacrystic garnet-
biotite granite, megacrystic hornblende-biotite
granite and megacrystic charnokite.
Further to this, the concept design report states
that the valley section lies in the Natal Group
sandstone and mudstone zone, which results
in a likelihood that underlying bedrock will not
be adequate for conventional founding of
heavy bridge structures. Since it is at this
vulnerable area that the realignment is
proposed and the viaduct is to be positioned, a
detailed geotechnical investigation is
necessary in order to inform the detailed
design of the viaduct structures.
3.3. Land use and Vegetation
According to the Environmental Potential Atlas
(ENPAT) provincial dataset, the land use is
SANRAL Terratest (Pty) Ltd
N3 Section 2 (km 3.0 to km 9.0) Background Information Document April 2012
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defined as “vacant/ unspecified”. However, the
area just north east of the subject area
comprises numerous small holdings with some
pockets of small scale agriculture. The south
western bordering properties consist of light
industrial activities and some residential areas.
The project area traverses the following
vegetation types, according to ENPAT:
Grassland
Thicket and Bushland
Cultivated land: Subsistence
Exotic Plantations; and
Built-up Land: Residential
Although several vegetation classifications are
intersected, the portion of the project area that
will result in clearing and construction, beyond
the existing SANRAL road reserve, traverses
grassland and thicket and bushland. However,
as the area affected comprises many small
holdings, it is likely that some areas will no
longer reflect the original classification as
stated.
According to the Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal
Wildlife Conservation Plan (C-Plan), the
proposed project area is classified with an
irreplaceability index of 0.6 – 0.8 (where 1 is
completely irreplaceable). Furthermore, the
Durban Metropolitan Open Space System
(DMOSS) that grassland and freshwater
wetland are intersected. These databases will
be interrogated during the environmental
assessment and will be verified by thorough
ground-truthing. The C-Plan and DMOSS
classifications are indicated in the figure
overleaf.
SANRAL Terratest (Pty) Ltd
N3 Section 2 (km 3.0 to km 9.0) Background Information Document February
2012
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Land Use Classifications (ENPAT, 2000)
2
2 Jordaan, F., Breedlove, G., and Langenhoven, S. Environmental Potential Atlas (2000). Department of Environmental Affairs, University of Pretoria and
GISBS.
SANRAL Terratest (Pty) Ltd
N3 Section 2 (km 3.0 to km 9.0) Background Information Document April 2012
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The vegetation classifications for the project area (ENPAT, 2000)
SANRAL Terratest (Pty) Ltd
N3 Section 2 (km 3.0 to km 9.0) Background Information Document April 2012
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Irreplaceability Index (EKZNW C-Plan) and DM
SANRAL Terratest (Pty) Ltd
N3 Section 2 (km 3.0 to km 9.0) Background Information Document April 2012
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.
3.4. Heritage
According to the National Heritage Resources
Act No 25 of 1999, provisions are made to
protect national heritage and this forms an
integral part of the environmental assessment
process. It is unknown at this stage what
archaeological findings may be found at the
proposed site. Amafa is KwaZulu-Natal‟s
heritage authority. An application has been
made to this authority and a Heritage Impact
Assessment (HIA) will be conducted, if
required, in order to assess the cultural and
heritage significance of any findings. This
specialist study will be included in the
Environmental Impact Report.
3.5. Social Environment
The project area falls within the SANRAL road
reserve, however the proposed re-alignment of
the N3 at this section will affect several
landowners and their properties. The adjacent
properties bordering the north eastern side of
the N3 are predominantly small holdings, which
are well-established. On the south western
border of this portion of the national route, a
semi-formal nodal development is found.
It is believed that the re-alignment of the N3 at
Key Ridge will result in social impacts to the
surrounding properties, especially in cases
where properties may be acquired.
4. NEED AND DESIRABILITY
The N3 was constructed in the 1980s and
provided exceptional service to motorists.
Since then the road has become increasingly
congested and unsafe in this area. Midway
between the Key Ridge and Sterkspruit valley,
a compulsory truck stop was installed in 2000
on the westbound carriageway to reduce the
occurrence of runaway trucks and improve
safety at this substandard section. The number
of heavy vehicles travelling along the N3 has
increased exponentially over the past decade
and as such a large number of the heavy
vehicles stopping at the compulsory truck stop.
The crawler lane after the compulsory truck
stop also drops away at an undesirable
location just short of the Sterkspruit off-ramp
which is on a sharp bend on a high and narrow
bridge.
Therefore a primary need identified by
SANRAL is to improve road safety along the
N3 Corridor, and specifically at the Key Ridge
area. Several options have been considered
and have been narrowed down to the proposed
viaducts (preferred option) and the road
SANRAL Terratest (Pty) Ltd
N3 Section 2 (km 3.0 to km 9.0) Background Information Document April 2012
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widening and speed reduction at this section
(alternative option).
5. TECHNICAL DETAILS OF THE PROJECT
The determined lane requirements for the
subject section are proposed in accordance
with a detailed study conducted by the
Engineers. The requirements make provision
for 5 lanes on each carriageway. The
requirements determined by the project
engineers are as follows:
Preferred Option:
A direct viaduct over Sterkspruit Valley and
widening only of the Key Ridge portion. In the
context of the route, a speed reduction zone
through the Key Ridge mountain pass is
deemed appropriate. It will not adversely
compromise road safety and in combination
with the direct crossing of the valley, is
therefore viewed as a balanced solution.
Alternative Option:
The alternative assessed by the Engineers is
an ultimate road scheme by widening only. The
prerequisite for retaining the substandard
geometry at Cliffdale is that the Cliffdale
access ramps must be sacrificed. Northbound
capacity can only be achieved by removing the
truck stop control. This will require the
provision of two slow lanes, separated from the
fast lanes by a barrier that runs through the
Sterspruit valley with the outer truck lane
running into the Hammersdale off-ramp. This is
the least costly of the road schemes and has a
smaller environmental footprint. However, it
inherits the geometric limitations of the existing
route, with the result that the speed will have to
be limited to 80km/h over the valley portion.
6. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT PROCESS
Terratest is currently conducting the
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for
the proposed re-alignment of the N3 at Key
Ridge, as well as the assessed alternative
SANRAL Terratest (Pty) Ltd
N3 Section 2 (km 3.0 to km 9.0) Background Information Document April 2012
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option. The EIA is a process will be undertaken
in accordance with the National Environmental
Management Act (NEMA) (Act 107 of 1998),
EIA Regulations, as amended.
6.1. Public Participation Process
The EAP is required to conduct the
environmental application process and
manage the public participation process.
According to the EIA process, this project is
currently at the Scoping phase and the public
participation process is being conducted.
Terratest will perform the following:
1. Identify key stakeholders, authorities
and municipalities, environmental
groups and interested or affected
members of the public, hereafter
referred to as IAPs.
2. Compile a detailed Background
Information Document (BID) for the
proposed development, providing details
to IAPs of:
a. The listed activities that trigger
the EIA process;
b. The scope of work;
c. The locality and current land use
at the site;
d. A detailed site description;
e. The EIA process to be followed;
and
f. The opportunity for IAPs to
comment on the project.
3. Advertise the environmental application
in two newspapers, namely: „The
Mercury‟ and „The Daily News;
4. Place on-site notices at conspicuous
places at/ near the proposed
development;
5. Give written notice in the form of A5
flyers to landowners and occupiers
within 100m of the proposed project
area;
6. Obtain landowner‟s consent, where
required;
7. Attend Public Liaison Committee (PLC)
meetings and workshops;
8. Host a Public Open Day which will
encourage stakeholder participation and
engagement, and provide details of
issues identified by the EAP,
stakeholders and IAPs;
9. Record all comments of IAPs and
present such comments, as well as
responses provided by Terratest, in a
full Comments and Responses Report,
which will be included in the Scoping
Report that is submitted to the DEA;
10. Circulate all IAP comments to the
project team;
The commenting period for all IAPs will be a
minimum of 40 days from notification.
The Draft Scoping Report (DSR) will be made
available to all relevant stakeholders and IAPs
SANRAL Terratest (Pty) Ltd
N3 Section 2 (km 3.0 to km 9.0) Background Information Document April 2012
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for further comment, before the final Scoping is
submitted to the DEA.
Once the Scoping Phase is complete, the
response from the DEA will trigger the full EIA
Phase, which will include the continuation of
the public participation process.
6.2. Environmental Impact Assessment
The project team will thoroughly investigate the
proposed project activities and the potential
environmental impacts associated with the
proposal. Alternatives will also be assessed
and included in all reports, which may include
alternatives to:
The property on which the activity will be
undertaken;
The type of activity;
The design or layout;
The technology used;
The operational aspects of the activity;
or
The option of not implementing the
activity.
Specific issues and environmental impacts
identified may require additional specialist
input. The scoping phase will identify such
specialist studies, which will be included in the
Environmental Impact Report.
6.3. Specialist Studies
Specialist studies will be commissioned, as
necessary during the Scoping and Full
Environmental Impact Phase. The following
possible Specialist Studies are anticipated for
the proposed project:
Heritage Impact Assessment
Wetland Delineation and Functional Assessment
Vegetation Assessment
Social Impact Assessment
Although these specialist studies are
envisaged, further investigations may be
required as the EIA progresses.
6.4. Environmental Management
Programme
The comprehensive Environmental
Management Programme EMPr specifies the
mitigation measures to be implemented to
manage the significant impacts identified. The
EMPr also describes what type of monitoring
will be required, who will do it, and what other
inputs, such as training, maybe required. A
draft EMPr is submitted to the Competent
Authority with the Final EIR.
6.5. Notification of Environmental
Authorization
After consideration of the final EIR, the DEA
will either grant or withhold Environmental
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N3 Section 2 (km 3.0 to km 9.0) Background Information Document April 2012
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Authorization (EA). The decision on the
Application for Environmental Authorization,
with the associated conditions, will be
advertised in two local newspapers and
circulated to all registered IAPs. In these
communications, IAPs will be informed of their
right to appeal against the decision.
The following process flowchart illustrates the
environmental process to be followed during
the EIA for the proposed project.
SANRAL Terratest (Pty) Ltd
N3 Section 2 (km 3.0 to km 9.0) Background Information Document
February 2012
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Flow Diagram illustrating the Environmental Impact Assessment Process and Anticipated Timeframes.
SANRAL Terratest (Pty) Ltd
N3 Section 2 (km 3.0 to km 9.0) Background Information Document
April 2012
Page 16 of 17
7. HOW DO I PARTICIPATE?
Every proposed development has the potential to significantly affect the natural and social
environments, both at, as well as surrounding the proposed site. For this reason it is
imperative that you as a stakeholder or an interested and/or affected party (IAP) comment on
the proposed project and highlight issues or concerns that you feel need to be considered
during the proposed planning and implementation process. Should you wish to register as an
IAP or should you have any comments regarding the proposed N3 capacity improvements
please state your interest in the proposed upgrade along with any comments or queries
you may have before the 31 May 2012.
A registration form is attached.
Please note that all property related concerns will be dealt with directly by SANRAL,
through their representative Mr Casper Landman. Mr Landman can be contacted by
using the following contact details:
Tel: 033 392 8120
Email: [email protected]
SANRAL Terratest (Pty) Ltd
N3 Section 2 (km 3.0 to km 9.0) Background Information Document February 2012
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APPENDIX A
Preliminary Design Drawing of the Proposed Viaducts across Sterkspruit.