(Above) The site of the iconic Huguenot Tunnel in South Africa with approaching entrance (below)
SMEC South Africa has been appointed by the South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) to provide consulting engineering services for the commissioning of the Huguenot Tunnel North Bore and the upgrading of the Huguenot Tunnel South Bore.
“We feel honored to have been awarded this contract by SANRAL,” said SMEC South Africa Regional Manager, Western Cape, and Functional General Manager, Roads, and Highways, Mr Jaco Engelbrecht. “The Huguenot Tunnel is one of South Africa’s most iconic structures and one that remains close to our hearts at SMEC, having previously provided structural design and geotechnical services in the early 1980s. We look forward to collaborating with SANRAL to deliver a safe, aesthetically pleasing, environmentally sensitive, and modern road tunnel.”
The tunnel started operating in March 1988. It has served over 100 million vehicles in the past 30 years. SANRAL is upgrading the Huguenot Tunnel as usage volume rises.
Located on the N1 freeway (Section 1) about 60km from Cape Town, Huguenot Tunnel is a tolled tunnel that carries the freeway through the Du Toitskloof mountains separating Paarl from Worcester. The tunnel’s supporting infrastructure includes a toll plaza, the main control centre building, and tunnel portal buildings containing extensive electrical, electronic, and mechanical systems required to manage and operate the tunnel and toll plaza.
SMEC South Africa’s scope of work for the North Bore and South Bore includes preliminary design, detailed design, procurement, and construction supervision. The design and procurement phase will take place over a period of 15 months, while construction is set to take 55 months to complete. Read more
