Rocla’s unique Beany Block system, which is specifically designed to enhance roadway drainage, has been installed in the recent upgrades to Nelson Mandela Drive in the Port Shepstone CBD, KwaZulu-Natal  (KZN). 

Pieter Bodenstein, Managing Director of Margate Construction who were appointed to complete the Nelson Mandela Drive upgrades said “The Beany Block was specified by the project engineers. It is a versatile product that addresses the need for a drainage system that allows both roadway and kerb drainage”.

“The Beany Block system is easy to install and offers an uplifting finish to the roadway. The system has been applied to both sides of the roadway. It is a very presentable and neat system and we will be utilising the Beany Block throughout the project which is due to be completed in February 2023” said Bodenstein.

The Beany system consists of a series of Base Blocks of standard channel section and Top Blocks of inverted channel section with an opening in one side face, collecting water horizontally into the channel section. When laid end to end, they form kerb and/or surface water drainage units strong enough to withstand normal traffic loading.

“We have supplied in excess of 1,000 of each standard Top and Base Blocks as well as mountable units for driveway access and special blocks that transition between standard and mountable to the Nelson Mandela Drive project” said Ritesh Singh, Sales Consultant for Rocla based in Newcastle, KZN. “The quantities required for this project, coupled with relatively short lead times meant that we needed to mobilise production capacities from more than one of our nationwide branches.” said Singh.

“Rocla pulled out all of the stops to ensure that we had sufficient product on site for installation. They have in fact supplied the full quota of Beany Blocks for the entire project in advance. I have worked with Rocla before on a project that required their culverts and have always been impressed by their ability to understand the challenges faced by contractors on site. Their reliability and professionalism are factors that have given them the good reputation that they have within the industry” concluded Bodenstein.

The Beany Block is a substitute for kerbs, stormwater pipework (channel equivalent to and replacing 250mm – 300mm diameter pipes), kerb inlets and parts of footways. The system also reduces contractual claims as damaged services are less likely to occur when compared to conventional drainage, as excavations involved in the installation of the system are shallow.

Applications for the Beany Block are numerous and include: applications where high inlet capacity is required, wide carriageways,  as a division between vehicle and pedestrian / bicycle lanes with drainage from both sides, parking areas, taxi ranks and bus depots, washbays and vehicle service areas, median islands and industrial areas, drainage around buildings and walkways and Toll Plazas.

Rocla is part of the ISG which also includes Technicrete.