Project targets better road construction in South Africa

The initiative is a collaboration between Nottingham University and South Africa’s Stellenbosch University. It will explore how road construction in South Africa can be bolstered by sustainable construction methods, with a view to improving mobility and boosting economic growth across the country’s rural communities. According to the researchers, the project will draw on UK and South African expertise in pavement engineering, waste recycling, digitisation and circular economy.

“The main objective of the project is to enable the development of rural infrastructure using technological innovation to overcome local barriers and enable social mobility,” said Dr Anand Sreeram, Assistant Professor in Transportation Engineering at Nottingham University. 

“We are very excited to start this initiative as it is not often that we get to work on projects that can have such direct impact on improving the lives of people.”

Around 80 per cent of South Africa’s road network consists of rural and low-volume roads. According to the researchers, these roads face significant challenges, including limited materials for construction, low funding, and reduced maintenance.

Led by Dr Sreeram alongside Stellenbosch’s Dr Elaine Goosen, the project will seek to tackle some of these issues by utilising locally sourced waste materials for road building. Over the course of the three-year programme, the researchers hope to develop a sustainable circular economy for road construction that creates opportunities for small businesses and skills development in rural areas, as well as enhancing mobility.

The ultimate aim of the collaboration is to help reduce poverty, enhance the quality of life for residents in these regions and provide a model that can be adopted in other developing countries.