South African Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) will extend its R28 million traffic monitoring project to include several other major roads in Gauteng, adding a further R30 million to the project value.
The project, on trial between Johannesburg and Pretoria, comprises 70 closed-circuit television cameras, aimed at gathering information about traffic problems, trends and conditions, says project manager Alex van Niekerk.
It is intended that this information will then be communicated to emergency services and disseminated to the public, warning motorists about potential traffic issues.
However, Sanral is now preparing to issue tenders next month for a fibre optic backbone and more cameras along the N3 highway, between the Buccleah and Geldenhuys interchanges. Van Niekerk explains it is further intended to cover large parts of the ring road, around Johannesburg, the N12 towards the East Rand and the N17.
This, he says, will add about another 200 cameras to the network.
Greater Gauteng
"It was always the intention of Sanral to cover most parts of Gauteng," he says, adding the success of the initial Ben Schoeman highway trials has promoted the organisation to proceed with the project's extension.
Meanwhile, the section of the Ben Schoeman, between the Shell Ultra City and New Road, in Midrand, has already seen the installation of the first of 10 variable electronic message boards at the Olifantsfontein turn-off, Van Niekerk tells ITWeb.
Thus far, he adds, the R4.7 million software development tender, awarded to Cape Town-based Sport and Traffic Technologies, is progressing well and Sanral is adding functionality to the project as it becomes available.
A request for information for the supply of traffic detection equipment has received favourable response from various parties and Sanral is testing several available systems, he says. This component of the project is valued at between R1 million and R2 million.
It is anticipated that the Ben Schoeman phase of the project will be fully functional in August or September this year, he adds.
Following its launch, information gathered will be distributed via a Web site, SMS, radio reports and variable electronic signs along the road.
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