The South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) has provided updates on some of the roadworks affecting major routes in KwaZulu Natal during the festive season.
According to Sanral, the road construction industry is set to resume operations on January 8, 2024, and road users need to take roadworks into account when planning their holiday travels.
One significant development highlighted by Sanral is the current closure of the shoulder on the N3 southbound (Durban-bound), which is related to the construction of a temporary on-ramp at the Cliffdale Road overpass as part of the N3 Key Ridge to Hammarsdale upgrade project. Sanral has indicated that the affected road section is expected to re-open around March 30, 2024.
Additionally, motorists using the N3 northbound (Pietermaritzburg-bound) between the M13 and Hammarsdale interchanges should be aware of long-term reduced lane widths from January 10 to July 29, 2024, as part of the N3 realignment between Key Ridge and Hammarsdale.
Sanral’s eastern regional manager, Dumisani Nkabinde, said that another N3 southbound shoulder that will be closed due to construction is between the Westville Viaduct and Paradise Valley Interchange.
He said that the Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) and municipal traffic police, with the assistance of the contractor’s traffic accommodation team, will manage and monitor traffic during the shoulder closure.
The slow, middle and fast lanes of the N3 will still be fully open to traffic during construction of the temporary on-ramp.
Mr Nkabinde said work on the N3 northbound carriageway between the Cato Ridge interchange and Dardanelles will see southbound traffic being diverted onto the newly constructed carriageway between the Cato Ridge and Camperdown interchanges, thereby enabling the reconstruction of the southbound carriageway.
Mr Nkabinde said that short-term single-lane closures will be in place between the M13/N3 and Hammarsdale interchanges between December 11, 2023, and February 29, 2024, for the placement of the concrete barriers and for the remarking of traffic lanes.
“Sanral wishes road users a safe festive season and we appeal for compliance with all the rules of the road,” Mr Nkabinde said.
