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TRAFFIC ADVISORY

Road closure on a section of the N3 in Lions River

Pietermaritzburg, 15 February 2022 – The South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) would like to inform motorists of the partial road closure of the National Route 3 (N3) in the areas of Howick and Lions River. The closure is detailed in the table below:

	Dates	Morning Road Closure	Afternoon Road Closure	Area/Location
Start date:	Monday, 7 March 2022	10h00 – 12h-00	14h00 – 16h00	Lions River
	Tuesday, 8 March 2022	10h00 – 12h-00	14h00 – 16h00	Lions River
End date:	Wednesday, 9 March 2022	10h00 – 12h-00	14h00 – 16h00	Lions River
Contingency dates
Start date:	Monday, 14 March 2022	10h00 – 12h-00	14h00 – 16h00	Lions River
	Tuesday, 15 March 2022	10h00 – 12h-00	14h00 – 16h00	Lions River
End date:	Wednesday, 16 March 2022	10h00 – 12h-00	14h00 – 16h00	Lions River

“These partial road closures are required to allow Eskom to perform essential work necessary to perform the overhead transmission lines and conductor which supplies electricity to the area,” said Dumisani Nkabinde, SANRAL’s Eastern Region Manager.

Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) from both Mpofana and Umngeni Municipalities will be deployed to manage and monitor the diversion of traffic and ensure minimal disruptions. Light motor vehicles will be diverted to R103 for a detour route for a total distance of approximately 45 kilometers as follows:

• N3 Northbound Howick/Midmar (Exit 103) Interchange when travelling towards Johannesburg.
• N3 Southbound Nottingham (Exit 132) Interchange when travelling towards Durban or Pietermaritzburg.
• Heavy Motor Vehicles (HMV) will be stacked on both the northbound and southbound.

The closure may need to be adjusted depending on weather conditions on the day. If need be, a second notice with information of the new times will be made available. Contingency dates have already been set aside.

“Motorists travelling along the N3 highway are urged to make use of the alternative routes, plan and adjust their route trips on time and proceed with caution and adhere to speed limits,” said Nkabinde.

Road users are advised to obtain real-time traffic information and route status updates during the abovementioned road closure dates.

“SANRAL would like to apologise for the temporary inconvenience and disruption these operations will cause to the travelling public. However, the roads agency takes seriously the mandate from government to manage and maintain the national road network. The construction team appreciates your patience,” said Nkabinde.

Traffic Advisory
Road closures on the N1 due to sinkhole rehabilitation

Pretoria, 23 February 2022 – The South African National Road Agency SOC Ltd (SANRAL) wishes to notify road users to expect road closures on the N1 North bound between Botha Avenue and N1/R21 (Flying Saucer interchange) in Centurion to allow for rehabilitation work on the sinkhole.

The lane closures on the N1 section 21 at Km 22.1 will be implemented as follows:

• Wednesday 23 February 2022 at 22h00 to Thursday 24 February 2022 at 04h00.
• Thursday, 24 February 2022 at 22h00 to Friday, 25 February 2022 at 04h00.

Progress Hlahla, SANRAL’s Northern Regional Manager, said the closure is required for gravity survey testing taking place in the lanes of the northbound carriageway as part of the geotechnical investigations required for the remediation works on the sinkhole.

During this period only two lanes will be open. The duration of the closure will be kept as short as possible.

“Motorists are requested to plan their trips accordingly, consider alternative routes and use caution when making use of the roads,” said Hlahla.

SANRAL apologises for any inconvenience caused during this period and will continue to provide updates to road users as information becomes available.

Media Release
SANRAL announces toll tariff adjustment effective 1 March 2022

Pretoria, 22 February 2022 – The South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) wishes to notify the public of the increase in toll tariffs effective from 1 March 2022.

The tariffs are adjusted annually in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) as obtained from Statistics South Africa (Stats SA). The CPI percentage that was applied to determine the new tariffs is 5%, as published in the Government Gazettes of 11 February 2022.

Vusi Mona, SANRAL General Manager of Communications, said toll monies are applied to maintain, operate and improve toll roads, as well as to service debt incurred to implement a toll road project. The funds go a long way to ensuring that the roads agency fulfils its mandate of delivering quality road infrastructure that adds value to South African citizens

“We are counting on the public to support us in this endeavour, because without this key alternative source of funding, we would not be able to carry out some of our major works,” he said.

Mona said economic infrastructure such as the national road network is a precondition for providing basic services such as electricity, water, sanitation, telecommunications and public transport, and it needs to be robust and extensive enough to meet industrial, commercial and household needs.

“The roads agency sympathizes with the South African public considering the current state of the economy. However, it’s equally important to introduce the adjustments to ensure that it continues to deliver quality roads and services to the benefit of the public,” said Mona.

For details on the applicable tariffs, please refer to the Government Gazette, volume 680, number 45902, published on 11 February 2022 or contact Customer Services as indicated below:

• • • Phone the Call Centre on 0800 726 725 (6am – 10pm, 7 days a week).
    • Visit our Customer Service Centres located in selected malls in Gauteng and along the Gauteng Freeway, as well as at most Toll Plaza Offices across the country.
    • E-mail info@sa-etoll.co.za

TRAFFIC ADVISORY
Truck damaged bridge in Gqeberha

Eastern Cape, 20 February 2022: The South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) would like to notify motorists that a truck carrying a load exceeding a bridge’s height restriction, resulted in a collision with the N2 Motherwell Bridge on the Motherwell Road in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) on Saturday, 19 February 2022.

The collision caused structural damage to the bridge. A portion of the road on the bridge deck will be closed off to protect the damaged side.

“Motorists must drive with caution when making use of the road. Our routine road maintenance team is on site with traffic officials,” said Mbulelo Peterson, SANRAL Southern Region’s Regional Manager.

Media Release

SANRAL lays the groundwork for construction in Giyani

Pretoria, 18 February 2022 – The South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) visited stakeholders in the Greater Giyani Municipality on Thursday 17 February 2022 to talk about upcoming projects in the area.

The visit is part of the roads agency’s stakeholder outreach efforts, which seeks to engage relevant stakeholders on SANRAL projects in the area, and importantly, to promote transformation in the industry by opening doors for SMMEs to participate in the planned projects.

The ‘Taking Sanral to the People’ engagement is a flagship event which was launched with the purpose of building and maintaining relations with stakeholders through effective engagement, and to discuss opportunities for local small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs) to participate in SANRAL projects, said Melba Geca, SANRAL Stakeholder Coordinator.

“As the roads agency, reporting to the national Department of Transport, we should ensure that our strategic planning processes are aligned with that of our stakeholders and that they provide professional and technical support in the delivery of stakeholder projects, including skills transfers,” said Geca.

These engagements are imperative for the roads agency as they help in understanding the sentiments of the communities on the ground which will assist with being more proactive instead of reactive when dealing with issues.

The platform afforded all key stakeholders from the respective sectors to have a voice regarding the challenges and concerns faced, as well as to pledge support and work together and succeed together.

Among those in attendance were Greater Giyani Local Municipality Councillors: Head of Roads and Transport, Cllr MR Mashale; Acting Mayor, Cllr Cedrick Baloyi; Head of Infrastructure, Cllr TJJ Mabunda; members from Roads Agency Limpopo (RAL), members from the Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), traditional leaders, local business forums and community members.

SANRAL project managers for the Northern Region, Thabo Mahlakwana, Lawrence Chauke and Lucky Negogogo, unpacked the following planned projects falling within the boundaries of Greater Giyani Local Municipality, which included:

• Upgrading of Provincial Road D3810, from Thomo to Hlomela from gravel to surface standards, which will include drainage and ancillary works. The total length of the project is 29.5 km. SANRAL is implementing the project on behalf of Roads Agency Limpopo (RAL) as part of the Presidential stimulus projects. The project is currently in the preliminary design stage with the detailed designs expected to be completed by September 2022.
• Upgrading of Provincial Road D3187, from Mageva to Makhuva, from gravel to surfaced standards. The procurement process to appoint the Engineering Service provider is still underway and expected to be finalised by March 2022.
• Improvement of National Road R578 Section 1, from Nwamatatani to the junction with the R81 National Road in Giyani: The project is currently in the design stage, and the contractor is expected to be procured in November 2022. The scope of work includes the improvement of intersections, public transport bays, upgrading of all bridge structures, and ancillary works such as fencing, guardrails and traffic signs.

Planned Routine Road Maintenance Projects (RRM)

The following are the planned RRM projects to be conducted by VEA Road Maintenance and Civils (Pty) Ltd, which has a 51% black ownership. The estimated budget is R 8,8 million, at least 50% of this will be sublet to targeted enterprises who meet the requirements.

• RRM of national road R81 from Molemole municipal boundary to Giyani.
• RRM of national road R578 from Collins Chabane municipal boundary to Giyani.
• RRM of national road R529 from Greater Giyani municipal boundary to Giyani.
• RRM of R36 from Greater Tzaneen municipal boundary through Modjadjiskloof to Molemole municipal boundary.

The Acting Mayor, Councillor Cedrick Baloyi, said he welcomed the engagements by SANRAL as they would bring about much needed progress and growth to the area and give first-hand knowledge of how road infrastructure in Greater Giyani local municipality and the entire Limpopo province would unfold.

“With SANRAL, things are promising. We needed this engagement to lift our spirits and bring hope to our people, because for a long since 2019 there’s been no activities around road infrastructure” said Baloyi.

He further celebrated SANRAL for their consideration and upliftment of local SMMEs and felt assured that there would be transformation in the industry, which will go a long way towards uplifting local businesses and growing the local economy.

SANRAL has pledged to work with the stakeholders in Giyani to achieve great milestones.

MEDIA RELEASE

N7 upgrade – A well constituted PLC is of cardinal importance

Western Cape, 18 February 2022 – The South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) has commenced with the upgrade of the N7 between Rooidraai and Moorreesburg in the Swartland Local Municipality and wishes to assure all stakeholders of its commitment to constitute a Project Liaison Committee (PLC) that is fully representative of all stakeholders impacted by the project.

The upgrade project, which has a contract duration of three years, entails the widening of the road and structures, as well as adding of overtaking lanes.

Following a series of engagements with communities within the Swartland Local Municipality in January 2022, it was evident that communities demand relevant and suitable representation on the PLC.

“We have heard the appeals from several communities and, within the next three weeks, SANRAL will be engaging affected communities to ensure they are able to nominate leaders who represent their interests on the PLC. We will ensure stakeholders are kept informed of progress, so that nobody misses out on any opportunities during this time,” said Petronella Theron, SANRAL Project Manager in the Western Region.

It is also important to note that the members of the PLC representing communities and stakeholders perform an oversight role over the respective SANRAL project. They are not involved or allowed to influence the awarding of subcontractor tenders or who get jobs on those projects.

The primary function of the PLC is to create a platform for project liaison, with regards to works execution, subcontracting and employment facilitation. The PLC also monitors and ensures fairness and transparency in the awarding of subcontractor tenders and employment opportunities.

“Due to potential conflict of interest, members of the PLC may not tender for work on this project or resign from the PLC in order to pursue a subcontractor construction tender. It is therefore important that PLC members simply wish to serve the community and must ensure that timely feedback is given to respective communities and stakeholders that they represent,” explained Theron.

SANRAL will continue to engage with stakeholders in the Swartland Local Municipality and is committed to a well-constituted and fully functional PLC so that nothing derails the progress of this project.

Traffic Advisory

 Expected road closures due to sinkhole on R21

 Pretoria, 16 February 2022 – The South African National Road Agency SOC Ltd (SANRAL) would like to notify the public and road users of possible road closures due to a new sinkhole that formed along the R21 near Olifantsfontein.

Two sinkholes formed on Monday afternoon just before 16h00 along the R21 northbound carriageway towards Pretoria, just after the Olifantsfontein interchange at R21 section 2 km3.2, according to Louw Kannemeyer, SANRAL’s Engineering Executive.

“One sinkhole developed just outside our road reserve fence boundary, and the second one immediately adjacent to the edge of the R21, penetrating about two meters underneath the road up to the slow lane and five to six meters deep currently,” said Kannemeyer.

Cracks also formed in the road surface in the outer two slow lanes, which called for the immediate closure of the outer two lanes of the road.

“Preliminary assessments have been performed by SANRAL engineers, and we are currently in process with the emergency appointment of the required geotechnical engineering specialists to assist with the specialist investigations required,” said Kannemeyer.

During this period, SANRAL will be installing New Jersey concrete barriers to ensure public safety (like applied at the N1 sinkhole) while awaiting the outcome of the investigations.

The lane closures will remain in place until the specialist investigations and remedial measures have been implemented, Kannemeyer said. How long that will take is dependent on extent of the sinkhole, which at this stage remains to be quantified.

“The R21 northbound will be reduced to two lanes in the direction of Pretoria just after the Olifantsfontein interchange for the foreseeable future, resulting in associated congestion during peak hour periods.  Road users are advised to take this into account in their daily planning and consider alternative routes such as M18 and M57 which run parallel to the west of the R21 in the vicinity of the affected area,” he said.

SANRAL apologises for any inconvenience caused during this period and will continue to provide updates to road users as information becomes available.

Traffic Advisory

Traffic deviation on N1 Musina due to construction

Figure 1: Road users to expect deviations on N1 Musina due to construction

Pretoria, 15 February 2022 – The South African National Road Agency SOC Ltd (SANRAL) would like to notify the public and road users to expect deviations on the N1 just north of Musina in Limpopo.

This is due to a necessary revised configuration on the N1 to enable the construction of a tie-in of the new Ring Road into the existing N1 between the old R572 intersection, opposite China mall, and the temporary deviation intersection to the R572, some 1.2km further north.

According to Hennie Kotze, Project Engineer at SANRAL’s Northern Region, construction is scheduled to take place from 15 February 2022 until 31 July 2022 and will result in the closure of the existing N1 between these two points.

Motorists and others using the N1 in both directions and those who wish to gain access to the R572 from the N1 and from the R572 will be affected. Access to and from Elias Ramuthivheli Street to these routes will also be affected.

Road users will be accommodated as follows:

Figure 2: Intersection 1 From Musina along the N1 towards Beit Bridge and the R572

 From Musina along the N1 towards Beit Bridge and the R572:

With the existing N1 being permanently closed off just north of the old R572 intersection with the N1, road users will be diverted sharp left opposite the China Mall onto a deviation (At the first intersection – indicated as intersection 1 on the above diagram). Turn right at the 1st intersection and continue towards intersection 2. At intersection 2, those heading for Beit Bridge will continue straight and eventually merge with the existing N1 at intersection 3. Road users on their way to the R572 will take the left slip lane at intersection 2 and eventually merge with the R572 along the current R572 deviation.

Figure 3: Intersection 3 From Beit Bridge along the N1 towards the R572 & Musina

 From Beit Bridge along the N1 towards the R572 & Musina:

With the existing N1 being closed off permanently at the existing temporary R572 intersection, road users will be diverted gently to the right (as indicated on the above diagram of intersection 3). Road users on their way to the R572 are to continue to intersection 2 and use the right turning lane at the intersection. After stopping and turning right, continue on the current R572 deviation until it merges with the R572. Those heading to Musina along the N1 will continue through intersection 2. At intersection 1 they will have to take the sharp left turning lane and go through another sharp right turn (opposite the China Mall) where they will merge with the existing N1 to Musina.

Figure 4: Intersection 2 From R572 to Musina, Beit Bridge & Elias Ramuthivheli Street

From R572 to Musina, Beit Bridge & Elias Ramuthivheli Street:

From the R572 in the direction of Musina – use the existing deviation just past the Sediba (Elegant) Diesel Depot & Truck Stop and continue along the deviation until the first new temporary intersection (as indicated on the above diagram for intersection 2). After stopping, road users heading for Musina and Elias Ramuthivheli Street will turn sharp right and after a second stop, will join the N1 Beit bridge Musina traffic through a second right turn in the intersection. Those heading for Beit bridge will after the first stop, take the slip lane to the left joining the N1 Musina – Beit bridge traffic.

At the next intersection indicated as intersection 1 on the attached diagrams road users heading for Musina will take the slip lane to the left and go through another sharp right turn (opposite the China Mall) before joining the existing N1 towards Musina. Those heading for Elias Ramuthivheli Street will continue straight through the intersection into Elias Eamuthivheli Street, after stopping.

“SANRAL apologises for any inconvenience caused and appreciates the cooperation and patience of road users during the construction period. We furthermore appeal to motorists to approach construction areas with caution, to reduce speed and always be on the lookout for pedestrians and construction workers. We will endeavour to complete the work as soon as possible,” said Kotze.

UPDATE: TRAFFIC ADVISORY
NATIONAL ROUTE 3 (N3) HAVE BEEN OPENED

Pietermaritzburg, 12 February 2022 – The National Route 3 (N3) northbound and southbound in Ashburton has been reopened for traffic after a Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) tanker overturned on Friday, the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) has announced.

“The N3 has been opened in both directions but it will take time to clear the backlog. Heavy duty tow trucks were used to remove the tanker which enabled us to open the road. This will help ease the traffic that had backed up to approximately 13 kilometers,” said Dumisani Nkabinde, SANRAL’s Eastern Region Manager.

Further updates will be shared during the day.

UPDATE: TRAFFIC ADVISORY

NATIONAL ROUTE 3 (N3) CLOSED BETWEEN ASHBURTON AND LYNNFIELD PARK

Pietermaritzburg, 12 February 2022 – The National Route 3 (N3) from Ashburton to Lynnfield Park has been closed after a Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) tanker overturned, the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) has announced.

“Total diversion onto R103 is in place and traffic is now backed up to approximately 13 kilometers. It may take most part of the day to clear this backlog as we are dealing with a dangerous and unpredictable gas. eThekwini and N3TC are providing backup service and resources while uMgungundlovu Emergency Services are still on scene,” said Dumisani Nkabinde, SANRAL’s Eastern Region Manager.

The tanker is still lying on its side and the cargo is unstable.

“SANRAL would like to apologise for the inconvenience and disruption this has caused to the travelling public. Motorists are advised to approach Pietermaritzburg cautiously and delay their trips if possible. The fire department technicians are working