Civil Engineering December 2021 | Vol 29 No 11

government bilateral agreements, multiple role players, border operations, population growth, urban sprawl, inter-city connec- tivity, transport infrastructure capacity, logistic operations at the port, and more. The process to solve the traffic problem was predominantly civil engineering in nature, as quantitative and qualitative transport surveys were conducted, the data was processed and analysed, the traffic operations were simulated using traffic micro-modelling software, the capacity of the transport network (road and rail) was determined, and designs were developed for the engineering solutions proposed. High-level cost estimates were presented to the client to guide the prioritisation of proposed solutions. The proposed solutions were compre- hensive, cost-effective and offered a more sustainable approach. CHALLENGES AND UNIQUE FEATURES Below are some of the aspects that offered a unique feature to the project: 1. One of the solutions to the traffic problem experienced at the port would have been to shift cargo onto rail and to reduce the truck demand at the port. However, the capacity and ef- ficiency of the rail network was limited and there were no concrete plans to improve the capacity in the foreseeable future. This was viewed as a long-term intervention. 2. The port was bordered by the rail yard to the north, the ocean to the west and south, and the City of Maputo to the east. This left no room for the port to expand its footprint and limited the transport solutions that could be implemented. Design ingenuity played a vital role in finding a workable solution. 3. Multiple role players, border op- erations and customs regulations in- creased the complexity of the project. Although the port operated 24 hours a day, the Lebombo border between South Africa and Mozambique only operated between 6:00 and 22:00. This border post catered to about 80% of the port traffic. In addition, the City of Maputo had a truck restriction be- tween 6:00 and 8:00. This meant that there was in influx of trucks arriving at the port between 8:00 and 11:00. These restrictions were outside of the port’s control and had a major bearing on the port operations. 4. Access management: The existing ac- cess spacing and horizontal geometry were substandard. The project team had to find innovative ways to retrofit solutions that met design standards. 5. Survey results showed operational issues at the entrance gate, as trucks had to go through a clearance and security check. The truck waiting area comprised of an informal set up which exacerbated the traffic congestion problem at the entrance. 6. In terms of the internal traffic circula- tion, the traffic modelling showed that some intersections within the study Civil Engineering  December 2021 39 The port handled 21 million tonnes of cargo in 2019 Traffic congestion en route to the port