Concor wins R155m deal to repair Chapman's Peak Dr
CONSTRUCTION group Concor is expecting to sign a R155m contract this week for the repair and maintenance of Cape Town's Chapman's Peak Drive.
The road is due to be reopened later this year as a toll road.
The scenic route was closed three years ago after a fatal accident caused by falling debris from the cliff face.
Concor CE John Willmott said yesterday that the provincial authorities had awarded his firm the contract to make the 10km route safe, and to operate a tollgate at R20 a car.
Concor was one of the companies to register an interest in making the road safe and in collecting the toll for the next 30 years.
"Concor was selected as the preferred bidder to design and build an upgrade of the road, and to toll it.
"The contract is expected to be signed this week," Willmot said.
However, Concor already has been at work on the site, under an interim agreement, and Willmott said work "had progressed very well".
Ideas which have worked in Switzerland and Austria to protect vehicles from rockfalls and avalanches are being used by Concor to protect drivers who travel along the Chapman's Peak route.
"We are installing steel catch fences to stop the boulders reaching the road, and are also building concrete structures along parts of the route, to provide a roof over the road," said Willmott.
"I am confident that it will be a safe road this is a very effective engineering solution."
Environmental concerns had to be taken into account as the route, which first opened as a toll road in 1922, was a national heritage site.
"Concor has always been concerned with jobs of a more technical nature, such as this project," said Willmott.
In another development, he said that the company was continuing to seek a suitable black economic empowerment partner, to acquire equity at group level.
Meanwhile, empowerment issues were being addressed at project level through partnerships and procurement.
Concor does about half of its business with the mining sector, and is involved in public sector projects.
However, the company has experienced problems in attracting the right partner to the construction sector, which does not offer the same returns as, say, the mining sector.
"It is proving a tough challenge finding the right empowerment partner," said Willmott.
May 13 2003 07:01:33:000AM John Fraser Business Day 1st Edition
Tuesday
13 May 2003
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