1. N2 WILD COAST TOLL ROAD PROJECT Draft Environmental Impact Assessment Report Feedback Sessions

2. Agenda b b Welcome, Introduction & Apologies b b Conduct of the meeting b b Purpose of this meeting b b Overview of the EIA process b b Summary of EIA Report findings and recommendations b b The Way Forward b b Discussion Session

3. b b Present a brief project overview b b Provide a brief overview of the EIA and public participation process followed for this project b b Present a summary of the findings and recommendations of the draft EIA Report per road section b b Receive comments and feedback b b Provide details regarding the Way Forward Purpose of Today’s Meeting

4. b b Construction of a new toll road between East London and Durban - approximately 550 km b b Utilise existing road sections (80%) and construct new road sections (20%) b b Connect major centres East London, Umtata, Port St Johns, Lusikisiki, Port Edward, Port Shepstone and Durban Overview of the Project

5. b b Existing Road Sections Rehabilitation and upgrade of road sections Widening or realignment of poor road sections Construction & upgrade of intersections & interchanges Resealing and resurfacing of road Replacement of safety features Provision & maintenance of fencing along the length of the road Overview of the Project Proposed Project activities

6. b b Existing Road Sections (cont.) Provision/construction of pedestrian walkways Provision/construction of over- or underpasses Construction of toll plazas b b New Road Sections New road construction within an 80 m road reserve Construction of a toll plaza near Mtentu River Overview of the Project Proposed Project activities (cont.)

7. b b 7 mainline toll plazas planned: Ngobozi Plaza Candu Plaza Tutor Ndamase Plaza Mtentu Plaza Oribi Plaza Park Rynie Plaza Isipingo Plaza Overview of the Project Proposed toll plazas

9. Issue of Tolling b b Issue of tolling to be addressed by the NRA in Intent-to-Toll process b b NRA are required to publish their intent to toll the route and provide the public with a period to comment on the proposal. b b This process is still to be undertaken for this project

10. Overview of the EIA Process b b Phase 1: Environmental Scoping Study (ESS) - completed in April 2002 b b Phase 2: Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Draft EIA Report Public Review Period – –Public Feedback Meetings Final EIA Report submitted to DEAT We are here

11. Aim of EIA b b Assess technically feasible route alternatives within the greenfields corridor b b Evaluate site-specific alternatives b b Nominate and assess a preferred alignment b b Identify possible mitigation measures b b Provide input into the EMP, which will provide specific management actions

12. Public Participation Process b b In compliance with the EIA Regulations b b Identify and consult with Interested and Affected Parties b b Promote understanding of the project b b Vehicle for data gathering for consideration in specialist studies b b Provide information for informed decision- making

13. Environmental Impact Assessment Route Sections b b Proposed route divided into 7 route sections to facilitate assessment: Gonubie Interchange to Ngobozi Ngobozi to Umtata Umtata to Ndwalane Ndwalane to Ntafufu Ntafufu to Magwa Intersection Magwa Intersection to Mtamvuna Mtamvuna to Isipingo Interchange

14. Environmental Impact Assessment Potential Impacts b b Proposed activities which result in impacts include: Rehabilitation and upgrade of existing road sections Construction of new road (greenfields sections) b b EIA considers initial construction works, which is undertaken in first 3-5 years b b This construction will be required to be in compliance with the project EMP

15. Environmental Impact Assessment Specialist Studies b b Ecological assessment (Coastal and Environmental Services) Flora and vegetation Fauna Aquatic Systems Agricultural Potential b b Social Impact Assessment (IWR Environmental)

16. Environmental Impact Assessment Specialist Studies (cont.) b b Tourism Impact Assessment (Grant Thornton Kessel Feinstein Hospitality & Leisure Consulting) b b Air Quality Assessment (CSIR Environmentek) b b Visual Impact Assessment (Strategic Environmental Focus & Henry Holland)

17. Environmental Impact Assessment Specialist Studies (cont.) b b Noise Impact Assessment (Jongens Keet & Associates) b b Archaeological and Heritage Assessment (Albany Museum) b b Planning and Development Assessment (Pravin Amar Development Planners & Bohlweki Environmental)

18. Environmental Impact Assessment Assessment criteria b b Temporal scale b b Spatial scale b b Severity/beneficial scale b b Significance b b Risk or likelihood b b Degree of confidence

19. Gonubie Interchange to Ndwalane b b Utilises the existing N2 & R61 b b Construction activities within the existing road reserve, except at site-specific locations b b Issues of significance include: Resettlement of homesteads within road reserve Restriction of access to new road through fencing & closure of illegal access points Invasion of alien plant species Impacts associated with proposed toll plazas

20. Gonubie Interchange to Ndwalane (cont.) b b Positive impacts include: Improved road safety conditions Enhancement of eco-tourism & conservation potential Creation of employment opportunities Expansion of transportation infrastructure b b Majority of potential impacts (biophysical and social) of LOW significance and can be minimised through mitigation

21. Gonubie Interchange to Ndwalane Recommendations b b Compile an EMP including site-specific mitigation measures to minimise impacts, including: Resettlement programme for affected homesteads Provision of local access, where required Appropriate mitigation of impacts associated with the toll plazas Management measures for the eradication and control of alien plant species

22. Ndwalane to Ntafufu b b New road construction within a greenfields corridor b b Issues of significance include: Resettlement of affected homesteads within proposed road reserve (e.g. Mampube) Division of communities Restriction of access between villages, grazing land, resources, schools, etc Loss of productive land

23. Ndwalane to Ntafufu (cont.) b b Issues of significance (cont.): Invasion of alien plant species Threats to animal movement and to biodiversity as a result of animal mortalities and disturbance Impacts on Mzimvubu River as a result of bridge construction (vertical supports in channel) Visual impacts associated with bridge structure Elevated noise levels associated with road traffic Impacts on archaeological sites, or graves

24. Ndwalane to Ntafufu (cont.) b b Positive impacts include: Creation of employment opportunities Expansion of transportation network & improvement of access to the area Enhancement of eco-tourism and conservation potential b b Majority of potential impacts (biophysical and social) of LOW significance and can be minimised through mitigation

25. Ndwalane to Ntafufu Recommendations b b Compile an EMP including site-specific mitigation measures to minimise impacts, including: Resettlement programme for affected homesteads Provision of local access, where required Appropriate design of Mzimvubu River bridge Mitigation of impacts associated with road traffic noise Management measures for the eradication and control of alien plant species

26. Ntafufu to Magwa Intersection b b Utilises the existing R61 and concrete road b b Construction activities within the existing road reserve, except at site-specific locations b b Issues of significance include: Resettlement of homesteads within road reserve Restriction of access to new road through fencing & closure of illegal access points Invasion of alien plant species Elevated levels of road traffic noise

27. Ntafufu to Magwa Intersection (cont.) b b Positive impacts include: Creation of employment opportunities Expansion of transportation network & improvement of access to the area Enhancement of eco-tourism and conservation potential b b Majority of potential impacts (biophysical and social) of LOW significance and can be minimised through mitigation

28. Ntafufu to Magwa Intersection Recommendations b b Compile an EMP including site-specific mitigation measures to minimise impacts, including: Resettlement programme for affected homesteads Provision of local access, where required Appropriate mitigation of impacts associated with elevated road traffic noise Management measures for the eradication and control of alien plant species

29. Magwa Intersection to Mtamvuna b b New road construction within a greenfields corridor b b Issues of significance include: Resettlement of affected homesteads within proposed road reserve Division of communities (e.g. village of Matheko) Restriction of access between villages, grazing land, resources, schools, etc Loss of productive land

30. Magwa Intersection to Mtamvuna (cont.) b b Issues of significance cont.: Invasion of alien plant species Loss of floral species richness and species of special concern, and alteration of plant communities Localised impacts on riparian vegetation and forests within river gorge due to bridge construction

31. Magwa Intersection to Mtamvuna (cont.) b b Issues of significance cont.: Threats to animal movement and to biodiversity as a result of animal mortalities and disturbance Visual impact associated with bridge structures Noise impacts associated with road traffic Impacts on archaeological sites & graves Impacts associated with Mtentu Toll Plaza

32. Magwa Intersection to Mtamvuna (cont.) b b Majority of potential impacts (biophysical and social) of LOW significance b b Noise impacts potentially of HIGH significance b b Many biophysical impacts of MODERATE significance b b Impacts on floral species and communities potentially of HIGH to VERY HIGH significance b b Majority of impacts can be minimised through mitigation

33. Magwa Intersection to Mtamvuna Recommendations b b Compile an EMP including site-specific mitigation measures to minimise impacts, including: Resettlement programme for affected homesteads Provision of local access, where required Mitigation of impacts associated with Mtentu Toll Plaza

34. Magwa Intersection to Mtamvuna Recommendations (cont.) b b EMP cont.: Mitigation of impacts associated with road traffic noise Appropriate design to minimise impacts on flora & vegetation Management measures for the eradication and control of alien plant species

35. Mtamvuna to Isipingo Interchange b b Utilises existing N2 b b Construction activities within the existing road reserve, except at site-specific locations b b Issues of significance include: Restriction of access to new road through fencing & consolidation of access points Compatibility with other planned developments Impacts associated with the construction of the Park Rynie and Isipingo toll plazas

36. Mtamvuna to Isipingo Interchange (cont.) b b Issues of significance (cont.): Socio-economic impacts associated with tolling of route (assessed by the socio-economic assessment undertaken by the NRA) Invasion of alien plant species b b Positive impacts include: Improved road user safety Creation of employment opportunities Expansion of transportation infrastructure

37. Mtamvuna to Isipingo Interchange (cont.) b b Majority of potential impacts (biophysical and social) of LOW significance b b Noise impacts potentially of HIGH significance b b Impacts can be minimised through mitigation

38. Mtamvuna to Isipingo Interchange Recommendations b b Compile an EMP including site-specific mitigation measures to minimise impacts, including: Management measures for the eradication and control of alien plant species Provision of local access, where required Mitigation of impacts associated with road traffic noise Mitigation of impacts associated with Park Rynie and Isipingo toll plazas

39. Overall Conclusions b b All potentially negative environmental impacts can be mitigated to reduce their severity and significance to acceptable levels b b Use of the nominated preferred alignment is key in this reduction of impacts b b An EMP to specify mitigation actions b b A number of potentially positive impacts identified which will result in benefits to local communities and the region

40. Overall Recommendations b b Role of the EMP is seen as vital to the implementation of the various mitigation measures recommended by the specialist studies b b EMP required for design, construction and operation phases of the proposed project to stipulate site-specific management actions

41. Overall Recommendations (cont.) b b Specialist input is required to be used as part of the design & operation phases, e.g. Specialist botanist to survey the final route Specialist ecologist to survey final locations for bridge crossings Specialist archaeologist to survey final route Noise specialist to provide input for specific sections b b On-going communication & consultation with communities

42. Way Forward b b Public review of draft EIA Report Until 15 November 2002 Feedback public and focus group meetings Comments received to be incorporated into final EIA Report b b Final EIA Report will be submitted to DEAT for review & decision-making b b Issuing of an authorisation for this project will allow final design of the road to be undertaken