N2 KZN North Coast upgrades to increase capacity
A14m-wide path winds through eucalyptus plantations, sugar farms, hills and valleys as construction proceeds steadily for a new 34km dual carriageway on the N2 between Mtunzini Toll Plaza and Empangeni on the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast.
The R946m project is one of the biggest road infrastructure developments undertaken by the SANRAL in KwaZulu-Natal and is aimed at coping with the increased traffic volumes on one of the country’s key arterial roads.
The upgrade of this section of the N2 began in March 2016 and is expected to last 37 months. We encountered some technical challenges with the installation of up to 35m-deep piles required for the construction of two major new bridges over the uMhlatuze and uMhlalazi Rivers.
When the project is complete, four agricultural overpasses over the N2 will have been lengthened, new bridges will have been built at the R34 Empangeni/Richardsbay interchange and at the P537 Port Dunford underpass, two road-over-rail bridges will have been constructed, and 16 major box culverts and numerous minor box culverts and other drainage structures will also have been built. In addition, the height of two overpasses will have been increased by jacking up the bridges.
This stretch of the N2 is on a declared toll road and therefore the income
generated from the toll plazas on the N2 North will be used to fund this project.
Corné Roux, a SANRAL Project Manager, said current traffic volumes on the N2 south of Empangeni exceeded 12 000 vehicles per day, with the highest traffic volumes occurring on the section between the eSikhawini and Empangeni interchanges.
The consulting engineers on this mammoth project, UWP Consulting, were required to provide training for 10 SANRAL project managers who are registered as candidate engineers.
Since the start of the contract, 27 subcontractors have been employed, of which 15 have been SMMEs that have been paid R43m.
N2 Mtunzini Toll Plaza - Empageni
R946m
March 2016
April 2019
541
428
27
R43m
N3 upgrade to be fast tracked
Detailed designs are being drawn up for the upgrading of the N3 between Durban and Cedara, which is essential if one of the government’s strategic integrated projects linking the Port of Durban with Gauteng is to succeed.
Eastern Region Design and Construction Manager, Ravi Ronnysaid that the SANRAL Board has directed that the project must be given priority and construction of the 84km section of the N3 must commence within the next two years. Once funding has been secured, the project is expected to take 36 to 42 months to be completed.
If the upgrades do not go ahead, it is estimated that users of the N3 will continue to suffer losses of nearly R800m per annum – due to accidents and time delays. R775m can be attributed to time delays and between R250 000 and R295 000 per hour to crashes and road closures due to crashes.
The upgrading of the Durban-Free State-Gauteng freight corridor is a Strategic Integrated Project 2 (SIP2). Its objectives are to strengthen the logistics and transport corridor between South Africa’s main industrial hubs, improve access to Durban’s export and import facilities, raise efficiency along the corridor and integrate the Free State Industrial Strategy activities into the corridor and integrate the currently disconnected industrial and logistics activities, as well as marginalised rural production centres surrounding the corridor.
“In excess of 40 million tons of freight per annum are carried on the N3 corridor, with approximately 9 000 heavy vehicles using the national road per day.
“Durban is by far South Africa’s busiest port with over 80% of goods moving along this corridor by road.
“Therefore, the need to consider the best economic solutions to ensure the seamless flow of freight is very important to this corridor,” said Ronny, adding that any blockage on the N3 causing its closure was tantamount to a national crisis.
Work begins on N3 corridor – KZN’s gateway to Africa
The N3 Corridor has got off the starting blocks: the 84km freeway between Durban and Pietermaritzburg – KwaZulu-Natal’s Gateway to Africa – is planned to be upgraded in phases over the next eight to 10 years.
Phase 1, which includes the critical sections between Cato Ridge and Pietermaritzburg, the Key Ridge realignment and the EB Cloete to Paradise Valley section, will be upgraded by 2023.
Ravi Ronny said the N3 Corridor is essential if one of government’s strategic integrated projects linking the Port of Durban with Gauteng, South Africa’s economic heartland, is to succeed.
He said the SANRAL Board has directed that the project must be given priority and construction on the critical sections must commence within the next two years.
N3 Corridor between Durban harbour and Cedara
R22-R24bn
TBC
end of 2023