The Civil Engineering Contractor May 2019 | Page 25

ON SITE: PROJECT 2
pier footings were constructed, the
piers themselves went much faster.
“Although the ground conditions
were good on the South African
side, with good rock bed material,”
says Katzke, “generally, there were
complex ground conditions. We had
to blast 1.5m into the river bedrock,
which was the most time-consuming
aspect of the works programme. The
nine 4m × 9m pier bases and two
abutments were constructed with
starter bars, with rockfill required
around the abutments.”
The isolated bush location was a
second significant challenge, with big
www.civilsonline.co.za
towns such as Gaborone, Francistown,
and Polokwane all many hundreds
of kilometres distant — requiring
logistical planning. “The steel came from
Gabarone and the precast beams from
Polokwane, for instance. Whenever
ordering tools and materials, we would
have to ensure we had at least one
spare — because it is not feasible to pop
out to a local hardware store to get a
replacement. We managed this challenge
by efficient planning and doing transport
ourselves to ensure timely deliveries.
Even so, our foreman would constantly
be on the road between Selebi Phikwe
and Francistown.”
Accommodation also required the
hiring of an entire lodge and the
establishment of a camp for staff —
also well away from the river, which
contained hippos and crocodiles.
“Machines are serviced by dealers in
Gaborone. They do major repairs and
services, with the basics done on site.
We do our own plant repairs and have
our own workshop. We use brands
already well established in the mining
sector, which have a strong presence
in Botswana: Komatsu excavators,
Bell ADTs, and JCB loaders.”
Conclusion
There were 50 workers on site,
including the foreman and supervisor,
and the project peaked at the end
of 2018. The most experienced
local workers that Estate has used
before also worked on this project.
In addition, there were two steel
Site project manager with Estate
Construction, Julius Katzke.
contractors on site with their own
staff doing the steel fixing.
The area was cleared of vegetation
prior to the commencement of the
project — with one exception. Katzke
explains the project gave a little nod
to the heritage of the site by leaving
in place a single tree. This tree had in
earlier times marked the border post,
and therefore takes pride of place
in the centre of the new border as a
symbol of cooperation between the
two countries. nn
List of professionals
Client: SPEDU (the Selibi Phikwe
Economic Development Unit)
Supervising consultants:
ACE GIBB of Botswana
Bridge design:
Wellfield Engineering of Botswana
Major contractor:
Estate Construction – a ‘citizen
contracting company’
Precast concrete supplier:
CoreSlab (South Africa)
CEC May 2019 | 23