There were high traffic volumes on KwaZulu-Natal roads today, Friday, ahead of the long Christmas weekend, with more than 1700 vehicles per hour recorded earlier in the day on the N3 Toll Route.
N3 Toll Concession (N3TC), in a report, said, the westbound (towards Gauteng) was also busy.
“Motorists are urged to be aware of slow-moving traffic, congestion and delays, particularly at toll plazas that may be experienced under these peak traffic conditions. N3TC appeals to road users to remain patient and alert, and to share the road responsibly,” said the report.
The SA Weather Service warned motorists that severe thunderstorms may be experienced late on Friday (from the afternoon onwards) along large parts of the N3 Toll Route.
“Please reduce your speed, increase your following distance and keep your headlights switched on,” said N3TC operations manager Thania Dhoogra.
Motorists in the province are urged to plan their routes ahead of time, owing to various roadworks on most of the major road networks.
The South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) has urged travellers to exercise extreme caution as the road construction industry has shut down operations and will resume on January 8.
Motorists need to be aware of the following roadworks:
• The shoulder on the N3 Durban-bound carriageway is closed for the construction of a temporary on-ramp at Cliffdale Road overpass.
• The slow, middle and fast lanes of the N3 will still be fully open to traffic during construction of the temporary on-ramp.
• Work on the N3 westbound carriageway (towards Pietermaritzburg) between the Cato Ridge interchange and Dardanelles will see oncoming traffic diverted onto the newly-constructed carriageway between the Cato Ridge and Camperdown interchanges, thereby enabling the reconstruction of the eastbound carriageway.
• Short-term single lane closures will be in place between the M13/N3 and Hammarsdale interchanges until February 29 for the placement of the concrete barriers and for the remarking of traffic lanes.
• There will be lane closures until February 9 between 8pm and 4.30am to facilitate the placement of concrete barriers as part of the construction process for road upgrades from Westville Viaduct to Paradise Valley interchange. The lane closure will take place on the east- and westbound fast lanes of the N3 between Westville Viaduct (Pavilion mall) and Paradise Valley interchange (N3/M13 split).
