Basil ReadN5 roadwork contract to net R279m

Basil Read had been awarded a R279 million contract by the SA National Roads Agency to rehabilitate section 4 of the N5 route between Vaalpensspruit and Winburg, the construction company reported yesterday. The duration of the project is 24 months, with work scheduled to start by the middle of next month. The total length of the road that will be rehabilitated is 33.4km, starting east of Vaalpensspruit and terminating west at the N1 intersection. The rehabilitation excludes the bridge at Vaalpensspruit but includes two new major bridges, the Tom Schutte bridge at 8.4km and Du Plooyspruit bridge at 41km from Vaalpensspruit, plus the widening of concrete culverts. Marius Heyns, the chief executive of Basil Read, said the group was looking forward to strong business activity by Roadcrete, its roads division, this year. The shares fell 2.22 percent to close at R11. – Roy Cokayne