The South African National roads agency SOC (SANRAL) has selected Protea Parkways Consortium (PPC) as the preferred bidder for the Z10bn ($1.27bn) N1-N2 Winelands toll highway project, which is planned for the Western Cape Province.

The 175km project will include the construction of 105km of the N1 section from the Old Oak Interchange to Sandhills, and the 70km N2 Section from a point west of the Swartklip Interchange to Botriver.

The tollway project will feature intelligent transport systems (ITS) and travel demand measures (TDM) with variable message signs (VMS), CCTV, electronic traffic detection services and street lighting, in order to quicken accident response times and generate traffic data, enabling informed travel decisions and safer journeys.

The project also involves the construction of pedestrian bridges to ensure the safety of all road users.

The initial construction works will take three years to complete, and the operation and maintenance period is expected to start from 2015-2042.

The Protea Parkways Consortium comprises both private investors and public sector companies, represented by SANRAL, which have won the concession for the project for 30 years.