On May 23, 2019, South Africa issues update on road widening programme. The South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) has said that major upgrades to the N2 and N3 highways are being split into several design and construction packages. Sanral eastern region design and construction manager Ravi Ronny said that the strategy is needed because of the length and estimated cost of the upgrades.

The first N2/N3 construction package is now expected to be awarded by the end of 2019 and take between five to eight years. The upgrades will include the widening of the N2 and N3 carriageways to provide four or five lanes in each direction and the reconfiguration of most major interchanges along the sections of route. The upgrade of the N2 will focus on a 55km length of the route, from Lovu River on the South Coast, to Umdloti on the North Coast. The N3 upgrade will focus on an 80km section from Durban to Pietermaritzburg.


This major initiative of South Africa has attracted the attention of all countries. The plan to expand road construction is bound to bring the country's development to a new high degree in history.
Overview of South Africa
The Republic of South Africa also called South Africa, which is located in the southern hemisphere and has the reputation of “rainbow country”, it is located at the southernmost of the African continent, bordering on Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Swaziland in the north, face to Indian Ocean and Atlantic in the east, west and south, located in the middle of the ocean, the Cape of Good Hope route has always been one of the busiest sea lanes in the world, and is known as the “Western Lifeline of the Sea”. The land area is about 1.22 million square kilometers. Most of the whole territory is the plateau above 600 meters above sea level.

South Africa is the second largest economic entity in Africa. People have a high standard of living and the economy is relatively stable compared to other African countries. South Africa's financial, legal, communications, energy, and transportation industries are relatively developed, it has complete hardware infrastructure.

The development of South Africa in recent years
South Africa is located at the southernmost of the African continent with the most strongest economy in Africa. It is the most influential in the Southern African Development Community and the most important member of the Southern African Customs Union. The GDP has continued to grow at a high rate for several decades, doubling the average each 7.3 years, creating an "economic miracle" in the eyes of the world.

In recent years, the development of various sectors and regions of the South African national economy has been uneven. The urban and rural, black and white dual economic characteristics are obvious. The new South African government has made a “reconstruction and development plan”, emphasizing the improvement of black society and economic status, encouraging the development of small and medium-sized enterprises, and increasing the government intervention in the economy, strengthens education and human resource training and infrastructure construction, achieves economic growth, increases employment, and gradually changes the unreasonable distribution.

The economic growth rates in 2014, 2015 and 2016 were 1.5%, 1.3% and 0.3%. At present, the South African government is focusing on the implementation of the “Industrial Policy Action Plan” and the “Infrastructure Development Plan” to promote the development of high value-added and labor-intensive manufacturing in South Africa, and to change the current situation of excessive dependence on exports of raw materials and primary products. Accelerating the development of railways, highways, hydropower, logistics and other infrastructure.
The development of current road construction
South Africa has the most comprehensive transportation system in Africa and plays an important role in the economy of the country and its neighbors. It is dominated by railways and highways, air transportation has developed rapidly. In recent years, the construction of transportation infrastructure in urban and economic development zones has been strengthened.

Railway: The total length is about 34,100 kilometers, of which 18,200 kilometers are electrified railways, and there are more than 2,000 electric locomotives. The annual freight volume is about 175 million tons. The luxury blue bus that sails from Cape Pretoria to Cape Town has an international reputation. The high-speed railway connecting the administrative capitals Pretoria and Johannesburg's Oliver Tambo International Airport was opened in August 2011, with a total length about 80 kilometers.


Highway: It is divided into three levels: national, provincial and local. The total mileage (including highways and streets at all levels) is about 755,000 kilometers, including 16170 kilometers of national highways. The annual passenger traffic is about 4.5 million passengers and the cargo volume is 3.1 million. The roads extend in all directions and are connected to neighboring countries, it is very convenient for transportation. The National Highway Administration (SANRAL), provincial and local governments are responsible for the construction and maintenance of roads.


The South African government has issued a plan to invest 650 million US dollars a year to improve road construction and traffic environment. Therefore, the requirements for equipment for road construction will be higher and higher. According to the current development requirements, the products that manufacturers produce need to have high-end technology, and they should be more energy-saving and environmentally friendly. Good projects are supported by good equipment. We believe that South Africa's infrastructure construction will certainly be stronger and stronger.
The impact of road construction on national development
1. To promote the development of the national economy
With the rapid development of social economy, transportation has become more and more important in social and economic development. It is an important infrastructure and supporting industry in social and economic development. Transportation is the link between the various links of social production, distribution, exchange, and consumption. It plays a very important role in promoting the development of economy, life, culture and other aspects of the country and region. If a country does not have a highly developed transportation system, it will be difficult to achieve social and economic prosperity, improve people's living standards and the country's prosperity. Therefore, road construction plays a vital role in the development of the national economy.

Similarly, road construction also plays an important role in the social and economic development of South Africa. It strongly controls the passenger and cargo transportation market in the city and surrounding areas, promotes the expansion of the economic market and the division of labor, and enhances the competitiveness of the market. Which drives the development of the regional economy and promotes the overall development of the social economy.

2. To promote the development of the machinery industry
With the acceleration of road construction in various countries, the demand for crushers has increased dramatically in recent years, especially the jaw crusher. The development of road construction provides a huge market and opportunity for the crusher industry.


Road construction requires the road crushers. The crushers can effectively reduce manpower input, reduce the risks of road construction, make the road construction more mechanized, and the specifications of road construction materials are also more suitable.

The crusher plays an important role in the field of aggregates for road construction with its powerful functions. Therefore, we must choose high-quality crusher to provide guarantee for building high-quality roads in the process of road construction.