KwaZulu Natal and Durban Road Developments [Archive]

juanw

August 18th, 2009, 06:14 PM

For those of you who are wondering what upgrades are underway at the Umgeni Rd/N2 interchange....

http://www.nra.co.za/live/content.php?Item_ID=398

Upgrading of Umgeni Inanda interchange on the N2

Media Release
Issued by
The South African National Roads Agency Ltd

Upgrading of Umgeni/Inanda interchange on the N2

The South African National Roads Agency Limited awarded the contract for the first phase of upgrading of the Umgeni / Inanda Road Interchanges on the N2 Durban Outer Ring Road to Stefanutti Stocks (Pty) Ltd, under the supervision of UWP Consulting / Eyethu Engineers Joint Venture. The work commenced on 10 November 2008 and will continue for a period of 18 months up to April 2010.

The project comprises the widening of the service road bridges, northbound and southbound, from 3 lanes to 4 lanes over the Umgeni River together with new links from the N2 to the service road under the end spans of the Inanda Road Overpass Bridge. The northbound and southbound bridges on the freeway are also being widened in the median in order to accommodate future widening of the N2 freeway. Motorists are advised to be observant of the advance warning signs, as well as the lane closures, and should exercise caution when travelling through the construction work zones. Reduced speed limits will be imposed on the N2 through the construction zones, with stop/go restrictions on each of the interchange on/off-ramps. Restricted travel widths will apply to both service road bridges. Motorists are urged to observe all warning signs for their own safety and the safety of the workers on the road.

The cost of the current upgrading will be approximately R100 million and the 18 month contract is scheduled for completion at the end of March 2010.

Phase 2 of the upgrade will involve directional ramps (bridge overpasses) at the Umgeni Interchange, which is planned for construction in 2011. The project is being undertaken jointly with the Ethekwini Municipality.

Durbsboi

August 19th, 2009, 08:18 AM

oh warwick junction?

yebo, N3 out bound fly over from Leopold street. Once complete you dont have to go down to the Taxi rank. The other off ramp on the Alice street side is almost touching down, they should pour the last bit soon. Also the N3 leaving the city from Commercial Rd will be closed from end of August for them to cast the section of the flyover going over the current one.

juanw

September 5th, 2009, 06:39 PM

Some more pics of the new Warwick inbound flyover....

http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/ss127/juanwood/00-00-33.jpg

http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/ss127/juanwood/00-00-39.jpg

http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/ss127/juanwood/00-00-46.jpg

http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/ss127/juanwood/00-00-53.jpg

http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/ss127/juanwood/00-00-59.jpg

http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/ss127/juanwood/00-01-06.jpg

Durbsboi

September 7th, 2009, 09:09 AM

OOO nice pic's with the supports off! the other side is coming along nicely as well!

dysan1

September 12th, 2010, 12:14 PM

Three-tier flyover set to cool stress levels
06 Jul 2010
Julia Denny-Dimitriou

http://www.witness.co.za/portal/witness_db1/UserFiles/SysDocs/bb_content/50000/43542/Chota%20Motala_image_lowres.jpg

IF any city residents are uncertain that Pietermaritzburg has shed its reputation as Sleepy Hollow, despite the coming of the Liberty Midlands Mall, they will be left in no doubt by late 2012. By then, the upgrade of the Chota Motala (Old Greytown Road) interchange should be complete, marking the coming of another of the distinctive features of urban development: a triple-decker flyover.

Although The Witness has carried several articles about the construction project that started in April and is due to go on until June 2012, none has spelt out the fact that this road- upgrade project includes a complex set of roads on three different levels.

According to the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) project manager, Gavin Harrison, design work on the project began as far back as 2006. Several different solutions to the traffic problems were proposed before the current design was confirmed. Sanral approved the design as a phased approach so that a parallel service road will eventually be constructed adjacent to the Dorpspruit stream between the Chota Motala Road interchange and Victoria Road.

The project stalled at one stage because constrained funding required the prioritising and revisiting of the entire intervention, but is now well under way. However, due to encounters with unexpected services that have to be relocated like storm water drains, sewers, and Eskom and Telkom lines, construction has been slightly delayed.

The hedges and fence on the median in the centre of the N3 in the vicinity of the Liberty Midlands Mall are being removed to make way for additional lanes, widening the highway to three lanes in each direction. The fence and hedges will be replaced by a permanent concrete median barrier separating the north- and southbound highways. The sides of the highway will be widened slightly, which has already started on the N3 north between Chota Motala Road and the Chatterton Road off-ramp. The N3 road surface will also be repaired and upgraded with a new concrete overlay.

The work being done on the western side of Chota Motala Road on both sides of the N3 is the start of construction to widen the bridge over the highway to three lanes both ways. Concrete beams will be cast on site at the construction headquarters on Woodlands Road for this new six-lane bridge. When it is complete, the existing bridge will be demolished. In the same way, a new bridge will be constructed over the Dorpspruit just south of the highway.

The surface of Chota Motala Road will also be repaired and retarred, giving it a life span of 20 to 30 years. That is also the life expectancy of the new concrete surface of the N3.

New interchange bridges will also be constructed to match the level of the new Chota Motala Road bridge (see diagram). The first will bring traffic from Chota Motala Road on a slipway over Du Toit Viljoen Road that runs parallel to the highway. This on- ramp from Chota Motala Road will then steepen up in order to gain height sufficiently to lead northbound traffic via a curved, incrementally launched bridge over the new widened Chota Motala Road bridge, over the N3, and back down, where it joins the N3 northbound carriageway (Ramp E).

This work will create the first multiple-level road interchange the city has seen. The incrementally launched bridge technique is not new to Pietermaritzburg as the Manning Avenue bridge over the N3 was constructed similarly in the late eighties. This technique allows for the bridge to be constructed in stages at the concrete casting yard, stitched together and pushed out over the N3 in segments. This prevents any traffic disruption on the N3 and Chota Motala Road. Harrison said: “Sanral has given a lot of aesthetic consideration to the design of the new bridges and once completed they will be a landmark in Pietermaritzburg.”

Motorists who use the N3 off-ramp up onto Chota Motala Road will know that traffic in this lane regularly backs up all the way to the mall. This lane will also be widened using what is currently veld, taking the road close to the railway line in one place (Ramp C). Ramp B in the graphic is the new on-ramp that will take traffic off Chota Motala Road and onto the north- bound N3 towards Johannesburg.

Ramp A is the existing off-ramp from the N3 northbound onto Chota Motala from where motorists can either turn right to go up Chota Motala Road into Willowton and the northern suburbs or left into town down Church Street.

Ramp D is the existing slip road that directs traffic from Chota Motala Road onto the N3 southbound towards Durban, which will remain as it is, apart from some widening.

Eventually, Chota Motala Road will be widened to three lanes each way from East Street in the CBD to the Otto’s Bluff Road. The widening of the road from the N3 up the hill past the Northway Mall will be the last section to be completed in 2012.

The acting public safety manager, Kwenza Khumalo, has asked the public to be patient and “bear with us. It will be an inconvenience [in the short term] but it’s for a good cause” (The Witness, May 18).

CLEARLY, a construction project of this magnitude is going to cause major traffic disruption for the next two years. Speed limits on the N3 in the vicinity of the construction have already been reduced from 100 km/h to 80 km/h and at times 60 km/h. To resurface the highway, lanes will have to be closed at different times. However, authorities have given assurances that there will always be adequate staff on hand to direct motorists accordingly.

“There is obviously going to be noise, dust, considerable traffic disruption and inconvenience to motorists over the next two years,” project manager Gavin Harrison said. “However, we are working closely with the Road Traffic Inspectorate and Msunduzi traffic department to ensure it is properly managed. All the same, we would advise motorists to avoid the area and use alternative routes like Manning Avenue and Ohrtmann Road if they can. The public has also been warned that both the Road Traffic Inspectorate and Msunduzi traffic police will carry out regular speed checks to ensure compliance with the reduced speed limitations.”

WORK currently going on is:

• CHOTA MOTALA BRIDGE: preparing the area around the bridge to build a new, wider bridge over the N3 with three lanes in and out of town. This includes earthmoving equipment doing excavations and removing soil, and construction vehicles shipping in rock to form the base for the new bridge.

• N3 NORTH: widening to three lanes from Manning Avenue to Chota Motala, four lanes from there to Sanctuary Road off- ramp and three lanes from Sanctuary Road off-ramp to Chatterton Road on-ramp.

• N3 SOUTH: widening from Chatterton Road off-ramp to Midlands Mall, four lanes from mall to Chota Motala and four lanes from Chota Motala to Manning Avenue.

A FAMILIAR sight around the intersection in question are pupils of Forest Hill Primary walking to and from their school at the corner of Chota Motala and Willowton roads. Principal Basil Manuel expressed fears for the pupils’ safety during the construction project (The Witness, May 7). Sanral’s Gavin Harrison said that representatives of all the stakeholders involved, including the school, the contractors, Msunduzi Municipality and the Road Traffic Inspectorate have met and agreed that the pupils would be taken care of.

The widening of Chota Motala Road will take the road close to the school buildings, with just a concrete wall separating them. The impact that traffic noise will have on the school is as yet unknown.

CLIENT: SA National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral)

CONSULTING ENGINEERS: Iliso Aurecon Joint Venture

RESIDENT SITE ENGINEER: Malcolm Barron

CHIEF CONTRACTOR: Group 5 Joint Venture

COST: R280 million shared by Sanral and Msunduzi Municipality

Ron2K

September 13th, 2010, 01:07 PM

Awesome. That interchange has been a major bottleneck for a while.

Durbsboi

September 14th, 2010, 11:09 AM

I used the new N2 slipway from the Umgeni road interchange on Sunday night, must say how much better it makes it to slot onto the freeway now! during peak hour's it might be tricky getting from one side of the bridge to the other, but once you on the 2 dedicated lanes, its brilliant!

http://i51.tinypic.com/2mxkfth.jpg

SharksBoy

September 14th, 2010, 01:47 PM

^^ oh yes i remember it has been ongoing construction for long time. I didnt know they have complete it already. thank for telling

ToxicBunny

September 14th, 2010, 02:40 PM

Its awesome to use....

Used it a few times recently actually...

dysan1

September 14th, 2010, 07:35 PM

No need to use it, but driven past the other day. Confused as to how with all the lanes there at the interchange already, that they will incorporate a multilevel interchange in phase two

romanSA

September 14th, 2010, 08:59 PM

Some relatives of mine just relocated back to SA from Sydney. When we drove past this intersection last week, they commented that Durban's (and SA's) roads in general are superior to Sydney's. I think we are quite lucky in Durban to have such a good (and constantly improving) road network.

Ron2K

September 15th, 2010, 10:09 AM

Durbsboi

September 15th, 2010, 01:25 PM

Yip lots of people complain about Sydney's freeways or lack of it. They didnt plan ahead for large amounts. My mate was down for the world cup & said traffic is horrific for him.

juanw

September 16th, 2010, 11:53 AM

:) Well, it looks like the construction of Umgeni Interchange Phase 2 is now out to tender for Contractors.

http://www.nra.co.za/live/content.php?Category_ID=166#

CONTRACT NRA N002-250-2011/1
IMPROVEMENTS TO UMGENI ROAD INTERCHANGE (KM 21.5) ON NATIONAL ROUTE 2, SECTION 25

T1.1 TENDER NOTICE AND INVITATION TO TENDER

1. The South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) invites tenders for improvements to Umgeni Road Interchange on National Route 2, Section 25 at km 21.5. This is a “non-term” contract according to CIBD regulation 25 (1) (b). This project is in the province of Kwazulu Natal in the metropolitan area of eThekwini. The approximate duration is 30 months.

2. Tenderers should have a CIDB contractor grading designation of 9 CE. Tenders from tenderers with a CIDB contractor grading designation of 8 CEPE or lower will not be accepted.

3. Preferences are offered to tenderers who comply with the criteria stated in the Tender Data.

“Joint venture tenders are encouraged by the offer of preference points, as defined in the Tender Data, which are made available to tenders that create a joint venture between the main tenderer and category 7 CE”.

The physical address for collection of tender documents is South African National Roads Agency, Eastern Region, 58 Van Eck Place, Mkondeni, Pietermaritzburg where documents may be collected during the hours 08h00 to 16h00 (Monday to Friday), from Monday 20 September 2010.

annman

September 16th, 2010, 12:48 PM

^^ The Aussies generally aren't as big on their freeway networks as we are - in particular, there's quite a few gaps in the Sydney system (particularly when heading north out of town; you have to negotiate the rat race of Pacific Drive). In my opinion, only Melbourne has a freeway network worth boasting about.

They also seem to have a pretty big NIMBY problem whenever they try to do something about it.

Actually, the city with the most impressive freeway building record in late-2000's is Brisbane. You must see the amount of tunneled freeways they've built and how they're upgrading their existing network... It's colossal!!! They're fixing their northern "freeway gap." Wonder why Sydney can't follow suit and do a similar tunneled scheme to link the Newcastle Freeway to the Gore Hill Freeway.

Ron2K

September 16th, 2010, 05:36 PM

^^ Haven't actually been to Brisbane, but I'll take your word for it. :)

dysan1

September 16th, 2010, 05:46 PM

Another mamouth roads project that has been ongoing and will open new development areas within the city

Gongs for local viaduct

http://theridgeonline.co.za/files/2010/09/TheMgeniviaduct.jpg

by Editor on September 16, 2010 in News

SSI Engineers & Environmental Consultants, a black empowerment engineering and environmental consultancy – which forms part of the DHV Group – has been awarded the prestigious CESA Glenrand MIB Engineering Excellence Award for its work on the local Mgeni viaduct project.

In addition, it was recognised by the Durban Branch of the South African Institution of Civil Engineering 2010 Awards for “The Most Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement – Technical Excellence Category”.

The Mgeni viaduct is a 410m long incrementally-launched bridge which forms part of the new main road P577 between KwaMashu and New Germany. This 14km long route will provide the fifth main crossing of the Mgeni River in the Durban region and is located about 10km inland from the coast. Completion of the P577 will provide a direct link between the residential areas of KwaMashu, Ntuzuma and Inanda with New Germany and Pinetown further to the west.

Planning and design of this road was completed in the mid-1990s but construction was delayed until 2002 due to lack of funds. The decision to proceed was based on the significant contribution the road would make to the socio-economic development of the local communities, linking them to new employment opportunities and dramatically reducing transport costs.

The site of the Mgeni viaduct is dominated by the steep rocky escarpment on the left (east) bank of the river, which falls sharply to river level and rises gently towards the west.

To give you an idea of the scale of the project consider: The viaduct comprises twin pre-stressed concrete box girder decks with a total of nine spans – one of 34m, one of 36m, six of 50m and one of 40m.

It is supported by eight 6m x 3.5m featured hollow piers varying in height from 18m to 45m, which were founded on intact sandstone at shallow depth and constructed by sliding. The four tallest piers required stays during launching to prevent excessive horizontal deflections.

Each deck is 3.7m deep by 15m wide and will carry three 3.5m-wide traffic lanes, shoulders and 1.5m-wide sidewalks at the outer edge. The twin decks are separated by a 0.5m gap, which is closed by heavy precast concrete T-sections to form a raised median between the carriageways.

The successful completion of this structure for the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport without major incident testifies to the quality of the contractor’s temporary works and control measures during the construction of this technically challenging project.

A massive project built on a grand scale

The SSI team involved in the planning, design and construction management of the Mgeni viaduct has been together since 1981 when the first incrementally launched viaduct in South Africa was constructed across the Umhlatuzana River adjacent to the Marrianhill Toll Plaza on the N3 near Pinetown. Bruce Durow has been intimately involved in the planning and design of both structures and Kurt Hillermann has been the resident engineer on both projects. The depth of experience of this team ensured that a high quality design was presented to the contractors.

Caring for the environment

The natural beauty of the bridge setting has been the inspiration for exceptional attention to the environment. The designers minimised the impact that the location of the substructure would have on the Mgeni River and site staff respected the requirements of the contract which imposed heavy fines for violations of environmental requirements.

The environment was a recurring theme during daily toolbox talks. Specific interventions were the relocation of indigenous trees and the recording and reinstatement of the riverine environment. Numerous audits were carried out and a clean bill of health was obtained.

http://theridgeonline.co.za/files/2010/09/A-massive-project-built-on-a-grand-scale.jpg

The Department of Water Affairs gave the project its stamp of approval.

** Information provided by the South African Institution of Civil Engineering

http://theridgeonline.co.za/mgeni-viaduct-project-wins-award/

romanSA

September 16th, 2010, 07:59 PM

I have some pics of this project I took out from the air. Will post them when I get back to SA.

SA BOY

September 17th, 2010, 08:54 AM

check it out on google earth, while not finnished you can see its path. i had to check cos i have forgotten names and places

dysan1

September 22nd, 2010, 05:30 PM

sounds like was complex. it is an incredibly busy area

The Umgeni-Inanda Inerchange upgrade

Source: Grant Kruger

This project, undertaken by Stefanutti Stocks Civils KZN, comprises the upgrading of the Umgeni/Inanda Split Interchange on the N2 in KwaZulu Natal, for client SANRAL.

The upgrade includes:
• The construction of two new jackspan routes, retaining walls and soil anchor beams, as well as the construction of new infill decks between the existing decks of the bridges across the Umgeni River;
• the demolition of existing traffic barriers on the existing service road bridges and N2 bridges; and
• the construction of 690m of new F-type SANRAL traffic barriers.

Additional work on the contract requires the construction of 450m of structural steel walkway which will be installed on the outside of the service road bridges, thus allowing an additional traffic lane in each direction. The one kilometer long bridge site is situated on the N2 highway and forms part of a very busy intersection. The traffic volume is extremely high in this area, and lane closure was limited to off-peak periods only. Vehicular access is not always possible.

The original method of constructing the 44m long decks over the river would have been to span the piers with a
pre-stressed steel truss, and erect formwork on this truss. This would have necessitated the lowering of the truss
and the formwork units into the river and then moving them on to the next section as work progressed, however for
environmental reasons and ease of construction, the method was changed.

The adopted method therefore involves the precasting of the decks on one side of the river and then moving them into position using a gantry which runs along a rail. The major concern with this method was whether the cantilevers of the existing bridges could carry the weight of the new decks, which weighed 310 ton and 195 ton for the service road and median decks respectively.

Once it was established that the existing decks could carry the load, a concrete rail beam was cast on either side of the gap and a series of steel gantries were placed over the gap to carry the new deck. Seven gantries are being used in series to distribute the load sufficiently across existing cantilevers. The new decks were then cast in position on one side of the bridge and lifted using a computerised hydraulic system and then towed 180m across the river into their final position.

In order to lift the decks, a total of 28 jacks are used, each with a capacity of 30 ton. “The computerised hydraulic
system allows us to control all of the jacks to a 2mm tolerance between jacks” says Grant Kruger, contracts manager. “The system also enables us to tilt the beams in both the transverse and longitudinal directions if required”.

juanw

October 3rd, 2010, 04:47 PM

Cross post from Road & Rail thread....

Hi Guys

I have just had a very interesting read on the NATMAP- KZN report regarding future transport projects in the province. The document can be found at http://www.kzntransport.gov.za/reading_room/reports/natmap/Ph%204%20Combined_KZN_Updated%20on%202March2010.pdf

The summary of these projects are in Annexure A, and outlines the plans for road, rail, air and port through to 2050.

Including the proposed high speed rail link, I was shocked at the amount of N2 & N3 upgrades that are planned, with lanes being added every few years. Even more interesting, apparently ACSA is in fact planning a second airport in Durban to compliment King Shaka, and is planned to be opened around 2055.

dysan1

October 3rd, 2010, 06:57 PM

Downloading now! thanks for finding and posting. Will have a good read through

juanw

October 3rd, 2010, 08:59 PM

^^ If you want to see the other KZN NATMAP reports, the links to the documents can be found on http://www.kzntransport.gov.za/reading_room/reports/natmap/index.htm

:cheers:

dysan1

October 4th, 2010, 12:27 PM

yup downloaded them all...about 200meg of stuff on there

romanSA

October 5th, 2010, 01:59 AM

Those reports were great! Thanks for posting that link!

SA BOY

October 5th, 2010, 08:25 AM

SharksBoy

October 5th, 2010, 08:43 AM

Hey i heard it possibly to drive from Mt Edgecombe/La Lucia to Waterfall? it is safe to drive thru or it not possible? I often drove on N2 then N3 then M14 to Hillcrest and get to Waterfall.

dysan1

October 5th, 2010, 01:55 PM

If you travel from Umhlanga you still use the N2 then N3. Its township roads through inanda and kwamashu currently, very long journey on twisty roads i'd imagine. its not even a route option

juanw

October 5th, 2010, 04:54 PM

Yeah. I imagine that your best bet for an alternative route is when the construction of road MR577 is complete (linking Pinetown to the northern areas)

dysan1

October 5th, 2010, 06:39 PM

^^ that should cut time down yes. I do not see a road direct from Umhlanga to Hillcrest happening for a number of years yet

romanSA

October 6th, 2010, 12:41 AM

Hey did they ever finnish the road from waterfall to Sea cow lake? essentially extending Inanda road ( now called M33) down the mountain to Sea cow lake?

It was on the cards when I lived in crestholme 30 years ago

People often get confused about this issue. To clarify, there are 2 Inanda Roads in Durban:

- Inanda Road (M21): From KwaMashu, past Newlands and Sea Cow Lake, joining the N2.

- Inanda Road (M33): from Hillcrest, past Waterfall, Crestholme, ending in Molweni.

They are unrelated to each other and do not link up. Thus, those people who think that Hillcrest is being linked to the N2 via Inanda Road are mistaken. Yes, Inanda Road is undergoing a major upgrade, and it will link to the N2, but its the M21 Inanda Road (leading to/from KwaMashu), not the M33 Inanda Road (Hillcrest's). The M33 currently ends at a T-junction in Molweni and there is a mountain / hill in front of it. It would costs hundreds of millions, if not billions, to go through that, and continue the link to the N2.

SA BOY

October 6th, 2010, 12:49 PM

well it was on cards when I lived there as the planning had begun on the route and as a kid I remember the surveyers out in Molweni all the time. if my memory serves me correct, there were plans for bridges not tunnels

dysan1

October 7th, 2010, 12:18 PM

well it does not appear to be a current priority. But if you read the reports there are plans for an Umhlanga/KSIA road link to Cato Ridge in the next 20 years

SA BOY

October 9th, 2010, 11:58 AM

cool 50 years after it was first discussed, jussses makes me sound old

juanw

October 13th, 2010, 09:10 PM

Hi Mike and Durbsboi.

Check your PM's.

So what ya think? :cheers:

dysan1

October 13th, 2010, 11:32 PM

awesome and massive, much bigger than expecting

SA BOY

October 14th, 2010, 02:26 PM

Hi Mike and Durbsboi.

Check your PM's.

So what ya think? :cheers:

come no secret messages, share

juanw

October 19th, 2010, 09:46 AM

Looks like plans are afoot to upgrade the N2 between Isipingo and Edwin Swales......

http://www.nra.co.za/live/content.php?Category_ID=166#

CONSULTING ENGINEERING SERVICES FOR THE DETAILED ASSESSMENT AND PRELIMINARY DESIGN FOR THE UPGRADING OF NATIONAL ROUTE 2 SECTION 25 ISIPINGO INTERCHANGE (KM 0.00) TO EDWIN SWALES INTERCHANGE (KM 12.8)

T1.1 TENDER NOTICE AND INVITATION TO TENDER

Durbsboi

October 19th, 2010, 02:09 PM

come no secret messages, share

its just porn, .... the concrete kind

It may look overboard but it makes perfect sense to me, thanks again juanw

dysan1

January 23rd, 2011, 05:26 PM

Bad news for speedsters
January 23 2011 at 02:10pm
By Niyanta Singh

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Speedsters beware. Big Brother is watching you on certain parts of KwaZulu-Natal’s national highways, recording and analysing your speed.

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport Road Traffic Inspectorate has become the pioneer for Average Speed Enforcement in South Africa.

The project has been sanctioned by both the Technical Committee for Speed Prosecutions and the KwaZulu-Natal Director of Public Prosecutions’ Office (KZN DPP).

The project was piloted first on the N3 between Nottingham Road interchange and Balgowan interchange last year and has since expanded to between Durban and Pietermaritzburg on the N3 and at a section on the N2 near Mtubatuba.

Kwanele Ncalane, spokesman for the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport, said the objective of the project was to reduce the high accident rate and the number of speedsters on the road and to create awareness in motorists to abide by the speed limit.

The project is designed around the “time over distance” principle, where your speed is equal to the distance covered divided by the time taken to travel that distance.

Ncalane said an average speed section was selected and its distance accurately measured by an accredited laboratory. “A camera is then placed at both the beginning and at the end of this section. These cameras capture all vehicle number plates passing through the section and a GPS time stamp is attached to each image. The number plates are then matched using a number plate recognition system, and the average vehicle speeds are calculated. Violations are then transferred in their encrypted format to the relevant prosecuting authority,” said Ncalane.

He said the recorded number plates would also be stored in a comprehensive database and used for comparisons against stolen vehicle records and outstanding fine records.

Ncalane said the system seemed to be working well, with the latest project rolled out just before the December holidays.

“In a few weeks we will be assessing the situation to see if it has been really successful. If that is the case, this will become the norm on most of our roads. We are working closely with our legal eagles to make sure there is no loophole for motorists to buck the system,” he said.

He said they had decided to implement the system because many motorists had become accustomed to the old cameras in fixed positions.

Some have questioned the legality of the system.

“One would not have the opportunity to check the legitimacy of the equipment recording nor check the training of the officials who presumably would have to be listed in a summons and how the distance between the two measuring points was determined,” said attorney Shane Maharaj. “In a marginal case such as 111km/h average over a 100km/h posted limit this could be critical.“ - Sunday Tribune

http://www.iol.co.za/news/bad-news-for-speedsters-1.1015708

ToxicBunny

January 24th, 2011, 07:43 AM

This is both a good and a bad thing in my opinion....

I'm not a speeder by any stretch of the imagination, but in my opinion, they will need to clearly mark areas that are "average speed" zones.

dysan1

January 24th, 2011, 11:03 AM

^^ clearly marked in the camera and legally, but they will never inform you with signs. they do not do that in any country

ToxicBunny

January 24th, 2011, 11:45 AM

They kind of do inform you (or used to) in Harrismith iirc... Ok, my mistake, those signs seem to have vanished (just taken a Street View drive through Harrismith)

But I'm not necessarily thinking that exact section of road, but a general indication that there are speed camera's and that they operate on an "average speed" methodology.

grantl

January 24th, 2011, 11:50 AM

But I'm not necessarily thinking that exact section of road, but a general indication that there are speed camera's and that they operate on an "average speed" methodology.

They do, and as far as I remember they have to by law. The Dbn - Pmb stretch the cameras are mounted from the bridge (under the bridge), the PMB stretch where the roadwords are are normal cameras and the southbound section by Nottingham Rd is also signposted and has normal cameras on the side of the road.

I have been caught by the Nottingham Road one PLENTY - 100kph average....

GetDownAdam

January 24th, 2011, 12:14 PM

I can remember seeing a temporary sign approaching PMB stating that Average Speed Enforcement was being used. Also, in the UK, they warn you before every camera.

SA BOY

January 24th, 2011, 12:15 PM

^^ clearly marked in the camera and legally, but they will never inform you with signs. they do not do that in any country

by law in oz and uk fixed cameras have to be signed

dysan1

January 25th, 2011, 06:05 PM

^^ all they have to state (as they already do) is that "This freeway is under camera surveilance". You will see those signs alot around Durban

GetDownAdam

January 26th, 2011, 01:20 PM

You're right, but there's a slight difference in the signage.

"This freeway is under camera surveillance" refers to the CCTV cameras monitoring traffic flow and incidents.

"Speed prosecution by camera" or simply the traffic camera pictograms cover speed cameras (including Avg Speed Enforcement)

romanSA

February 23rd, 2011, 07:27 AM

Now that the Amazimtoti-Isipingo tolls have been removed from the equation, it looks like the proposed N2 through the Wild Coast is being fast-tracked. I hope they take the environmental concerns into account.

------------

New N2 highway fast-tracked
Jan 16 2011 10:39

James-Brent Styan

Johannesburg - A new road between KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape would shorten the distance between East London and Durban by up to 85km and could lead to thousands of job opportunities in the two provinces.

Construction of the N2 highway could begin as soon as this year, following government’s decision that the road will no longer be a toll road.

The construction of the road has been on the back burner since 2002, as government wanted to erect additional toll gates in KwaZulu-Natal – specifically between Durban and Amanzimtoti – to fund construction in the Eastern Cape.

This proposal met powerful opposition, particularly from KwaZulu-Natal.

Transport Minister S’bu Ndebele this week told Sake24 that the project had now become a priority. He also confirmed that the road would no longer be a toll road.

When Ndebele was sounded out about where the money to build the new road would come from, he mentioned Treasury.

He said discussions were being held with Treasury – which was acutely aware of the need for such projects.

The new road would be constructed under the banner of the SA National Roads Agency (Sanral) and would be built alongside large parts of the ecologically sensitive Wild Coast.

But Ndebele said that environmental aspects regarding the road’s construction would be fully considered and taken into account.

Sanral spokesperson Priya Pillay said the process had been delayed for that very reason because of objections to the construction lodged with the Department of Environmental Affairs in September 2010.

Ndebele was however not too concerned about further delays caused by environmental issues.

He said the final feasibility studies were currently being finished, after which construction could proceed. He said the road would greatly benefit both provinces.

Large amounts of material such as bitumen would have to be purchased in the provinces and the construction work would itself lead to thousands of jobs.

- Sake24

For business news in Afrikaans, go to www.sake24.com.

http://www.fin24.com/Economy/South-Africa/New-N2-highway-fast-tracked-20110116

romanSA

March 21st, 2011, 01:46 PM

Did anyone see the notice in the Daily News on Friday re: massive upgrade to the N2 / Umgeni Road interchange (over and above what has just been completed)? In short, the city is getting it's 2nd "Spaghetti Junction". It looks bloody impressive, with flyovers criss-crossing over each other. Will hugely alleviate the traffic jams at that intersection. For example, traffic coming from the direction of Makro will no longer have to wait at the traffic lights, under the N2 bridge, for crossing over Umgeni River and joining the northbound N2. Soon, traffic will join the freeway directly via a viaduct that starts on the left side of Umgeni Road (like you're turning towards the south/city-bound side of the N2), but which will swerve right over the current N2 (and other new viaducts), connecting directly onto the north-bound N2. Let's see if we can get renders. Construction is starting next month, with work due to finish 30 months thereafter.

Can't wait for this to be done!

ToxicBunny

March 22nd, 2011, 08:25 AM

That sounds bloody AWESOME...

Must start digging for renders

annman

March 22nd, 2011, 10:51 AM

JEALOUS! Sounds great! If they'd extend the R300 northwards from the N1 like they're supposed to, Cape Town could also get a spaghetti junction. :gaah:
Link to the render:
http://sanralimage.ensightnetworkscluster0.com/content/Improvements_to_Umgeni_interchange.pdf

dysan1

March 22nd, 2011, 11:26 AM

MEDIA RELEASE
issued by THE SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL ROADS AGENCY LTD
17 MARCH 2011

IMPROVEMENTS OF THE UMGENI ROAD INTERCHANGE ON THE N2 APRIL 2011

The South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) is improving to the existing Umgeni Road Interchange on the N2 situated approximately 5 Km from the CBD of Durban, north of the E B Cloete Interchange and immediately south of the Umgeni River.

The improvement entails an upgrade of the existing simple diamond interchange to a new single loop partially-directional systems interchange which will:

Allow the entire interchange to be free flow (except the west to south directions);
Reduce congestion and delays; and Improve road and pedestrian traffic safety.

The upgrade includes the implementation of various directional ramps which will eliminate the need for controlled signalisation at the intersection. The upgrade will also include two overpass viaducts over the N2 and Umgeni road, two overpass bridges over Umgeni Road as well as an overpass bridge over a loop ramp. Pedestrians will be provided with new sidewalks as well two dedicated pedestrian bridges over Umgeni Road and the loop ramp.

Road users on Umgeni Road from the west, wanting to access the N2 southbound carriageway, will in future follow the road signage towards Inanda Road Interchange to gain access onto the N2 southbound carriageway.

Construction is expected to commence in April 2011 and will last for 30 months. Road users are requested to approach the work areas with caution, to observe road signs and adhere to speed restrictions in the work area.

SANRAL wishes to thank road users for their co-operation and apologises in advance for any inconvenience that may be caused.

Issued by: The South African National Roads Agency Limited
Contact: Priya Pillay - Corporate Communications Manager
T: (012) 426 6212
E: pillayp@nra.co.za

dysan1

March 22nd, 2011, 11:35 AM

This is the one that was shared with me and DB a few months back. Impressive and only 3km's or so from the original Spagetti Junction (which is getting a few extra turning lanes itself in the coming months).

The only problem is if you are coming along the M19 from Pinetown, you cant go right onto the N2. You need to go the 500m odd along the parallel road to the newly redone Inanda Road interchange, turn right at the lights, then right again and then follow this new parallel road going south. Clearly they didnt see the volumes coming this route to justify the extra flyover for this.

DBN-boom

March 22nd, 2011, 12:06 PM

^^Pg1 story in The Mercury today with graphic

http://www.themercury.co.za/r360m-to-end-n2-traffic-jams-1.1045142

juanw

March 22nd, 2011, 12:06 PM

http://www.themercury.co.za/r360m-to-end-n2-traffic-jams-1.1045142

R360m to end N2 traffic jams

March 22 2011 at 10:10am

Suren Naidoo

The notorious peak-hour traffic bottlenecks at Durban’s Umgeni Road interchange on the N2 are to be a thing of the past once a R360-million upgrade, which is to include four flyover bridges on four levels, is completed.

Construction of the mammoth project – spearheaded by the SA National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) – is expected to begin next month and to take about 30 months.

The interchange is north of the EB Cloete (Spaghetti Junction) interchange, 5km from the Durban CBD.

It leads traffic west towards Reservoir Hills and Pinetown, and joins the N2 Umgeni River bridge. The interchange also leads traffic to the N2 South and N2 North.

Ravi Ronny, senior project engineer, said that the upgrade would be Sanral’s biggest road infrastructure development in KwaZulu-Natal. The agency is spending R300m on Pietermaritzburg’s new three-level Chota Motala interchange on the N3.

“The total cost for improvements to Umgeni is about R360m,” Ronny said.

“This is jointly funded by Sanral and eThekwini municipality, which will provide about R120m over the development period.

“It follows Sanral’s completing a R120m upgrade of the adjoining N2 Umgeni River bridge last year. This was part of the overall scheme of creating direct access off and on to the N2.

“The need for this major upgrade arose because of the major congestion, resulting in delays experienced by motorists, in addition to traffic back-ups spilling on to the N2.”

Pedestrian

The interchange handled heavy traffic throughout the day, while there was also lots of pedestrian movement in the area, which would be accommodated with the construction of pedestrian bridges and footpaths.

“The upgrade includes the implementation of directional ramps, which will eliminate the need for controlled signalisation,” Ronny said.

“The upgrade will include two overpass (flyover) viaducts over the N2 and Umgeni road, two overpass bridges over Umgeni Road, as well as an overpass bridge over a loop ramp. Pedestrians will be provided with new pavements, as well as two dedicated pedestrian bridges over Umgeni Road and the loop ramp.

“Planning commenced in 2005, when a traffic study was undertaken of all the major interchanges along the N2 Durban outer ring road.”

Carlos Esteves, the deputy head of road development at the eThekwini municipality, said a major overhaul of the Umgeni interchange was a crucial road infrastructure development for the city.

“This interchange has been seen as a major problem causing traffic issues in four directions. Traffic has increased with the opening of King Shaka International Airport north of the city,” Esteves said.

Ronny said the new airport and the Dube TradePort had placed more pressure on the N2 going north. About 10 000 more vehicles a day were now heading north.

“The N2 outer ring road carries 130 000 vehicles a day. It is a heavily used commuter route, and further development north of Durban in recent years has made the N2 even more capacity constrained,” he said.

KwaZulu-Natal development economist Jeff McCarthy said the upgrade was long overdue and would alleviate traffic jams.

“It will ultimately more than pay for itself. Besides the spinoffs from construction, there will be efficiency gains for businesses and individuals and even fuel savings,” McCarthy said.

Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry CEO Andrew Layman said the upgrade would make a “positive difference”. The investment of almost R500m, including the R120m spent last year, in upgrading the Umgeni interchange was expensive, but worth it.

Layman wondered, however, whether the project would be paid for through tolls.

Esteves and Ronny said the development was a “non-toll”-related project, financed from the fiscus and the municipality.

Ronny said a joint venture consortium, comprising Rumdel Cape/KZN and Mazcon Civils, had won the contract. He said construction would result in delays at peak hour and asked motorists to be cautious and to co-operate.

SA BOY

March 22nd, 2011, 05:20 PM

they are on iol.co.za

LADEN

March 31st, 2011, 03:39 AM

wsvJz29AVQo

Yankee..

March 31st, 2011, 11:35 PM

Beautiful expressways of south africa!

13LxyMZeusg&

Ron2K

April 1st, 2011, 06:47 AM

The simulation of the Umgeni Road interchange is interesting - seems like there's also plans for access from the N2 to the Westwood Mall (and then on to the M13), which in my opinion is long overdue.

@Yankee.. - that stretch of road is the N3 north in KZN between exits 241 and 246, just before the freeway section ends.

dysan1

April 1st, 2011, 12:42 PM

Wow thanks for the visuals of the interchange and new one for the westwood mall! Very cool!

romanSA

April 1st, 2011, 01:34 PM

Thanks for posting that link of the N2/Umgeni and N2/M13 interchanges! It's fantastic! I can't wait for these projects to be done. It's really going to make a big difference to traffic flow in the city. The overdue M13 link will finally give residents of the Highway area a shortcut to the N2.

ToxicBunny

April 1st, 2011, 03:14 PM

Damn.. M13 straight to the N2 will rock my boat... make my trip to and from work much much easier

juanw

April 3rd, 2011, 03:18 PM

Well, Brick City has been demolished and relocated to N2/Edwin Swales to make way for one of the Umgeni Interchange loops :banana:

dysan1

April 3rd, 2011, 04:22 PM

Damn.. M13 straight to the N2 will rock my boat... make my trip to and from work much much easier

Doesnt seem a direct connection. The new N2 interchange looks to be sited at the bridge that currently crosses the N2 at that bend before that very high bridge (yes so vague when i have no idea the road names).

The interchange is not at the point where the M13 crosses over the N2. Therefore it suggests that a link road will be created through the Westwood development from the N2 to the M13 and access onto the M13 will be at the interchange used to gain access to the UKZN campus and Westwood mall.

Sand-Shark

April 3rd, 2011, 06:06 PM

Ok, maybe someone can add to this but, I spoke to someone who works with an Engineering design firm who are putting in a proposal for the 4-level interchange. In his view they were already engaged to do finalise the design.

It's huge!
- Doubling of lanes everywhere
- A new level
- A suspension arch which will support the whole thing because the central column cannot be used for additional layers/weight

Sounds amazing - anyone know more?

dysan1

April 3rd, 2011, 06:11 PM

^^ this sounds different to the renders in the 3d modelling thing?

Sand-Shark

April 3rd, 2011, 09:19 PM

^^ this sounds different to the renders in the 3d modelling thing?

Something that's been posted? I haven't seen it.

dysan1

April 4th, 2011, 12:10 AM

Umm look at the video youtube link a few posts up...

juanw

April 4th, 2011, 12:24 AM

^^ Maybe he is referring to EB Cloete (N2/N3)??

Sand-Shark

April 4th, 2011, 07:43 AM

^^ Maybe he is referring to EB Cloete (N2/N3)??

I am referring to EB Cloete and not the new Umgeni Rd interchange

ToxicBunny

April 4th, 2011, 11:14 AM

Very interesting, and very much needed if they are expanding that as well.

juanw

April 4th, 2011, 11:35 AM

That means they are not only adding lanes, but are actually upgrading EB Cloete from a 4-level to a 5-level interchange? Flip!!!!!!!

dysan1

April 4th, 2011, 05:49 PM

Why on earth would it need to go to 5 levels? And please peeps be clear about what you are talking about in here

juanw

April 4th, 2011, 07:51 PM

^^Yeah, I can't figure out that statement either. Maybe they are planning to link EB Cloete and the M13 to each other, and that would be the 5th flyover level? :nuts: Its the closest possible additional link to EB Cloete I can think of....

romanSA

April 6th, 2011, 03:59 PM

5th level can't be M13 link. It's too far away.

juanw

April 6th, 2011, 07:47 PM

OK, I have now seen plans for the EB Cloete upgrade.

Basically, there is no 5th level. The plans i saw only indicated that the ramps and flyovers will be doubled.

Due to the restricted space on the ground level between the columns, the proposal is to demolish the columns to allow for the widening of the ground loops; in place of the columns, the N2/N3 deck will be converted into a suspension bridge, via an iconic Moses Mabida style arch.

Hope that clarifies the issue:)

dysan1

April 7th, 2011, 12:30 AM

Lol nope, I'm now more intrigued and confused

ToxicBunny

April 7th, 2011, 08:49 AM

Damn..

I can invisage things in my mind, but still horribly confused as to how this will end up looking.

juanw

April 7th, 2011, 09:57 AM

Imagine the EB Cloete as it is with wider roadways. Now slap the Moses Mabida arch over the whole thing. That is sort of what it will look like.

ToxicBunny

April 7th, 2011, 10:07 AM

Renders damn you RENDERS!!! :D

juanw

April 7th, 2011, 11:01 AM

I wish I could! :lol: It was shown on a presentation given by SANRAL the other day.

Sand-Shark

April 8th, 2011, 02:51 PM

I wish I could! :lol: It was shown on a presentation given by SANRAL the other day.

More or less what I heard. Apparently the arch goes from the hill on one side to the hill on the other.

Sounds aweseome...

juanw

April 8th, 2011, 08:10 PM

More interesting info for the Durban N2 plans.

In SANRAL's plans that we saw, they are not only intending on upgrading Umgeni and EB Cloete.

They also have plans to upgrade Higginson, Edwin Swales, Mt Edgecombe and Umhloti Interchanges to free flow conditions; in other words, Durban is going to end up with 5 additional spaghetti junctions in the next few years. :banana:

Aside from Umgeni Interchange, the Mt Edgecombe interchange upgrade is the furthest advanced in planning, and hopefully we will see action next year :cheers:

The N2 and N3 will also be widened to 5 lanes each way.

The bad news - guess how they intend to fund all these upgrades :ohno:

Ron2K

April 8th, 2011, 08:28 PM

The bad news - guess how they intend to fund all these upgrades :ohno:

:bash:

ToxicBunny

April 8th, 2011, 08:42 PM

They'll have a moerse fight on their hands with the Durban City Council...

IIRC they ratified a decision to not let SANRAL toll inside the city limits anymore (other than what was already in place)

dysan1

April 11th, 2011, 09:46 PM

we have all been so taken by the upcoming Umgeni interchange, the m13/n2 interchange and the new lanes at the spagetti junction, that NO mention has been made of the R162m interchange work which is taking place at the N2 by Ballito. Anyone have access to more info on this one?? Ballito is really booming

dysan1

April 21st, 2011, 03:34 PM

GREAT overhead shot of Durban's Spagetti Junction by Grant Pitcher

http://www.grantpitcher.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/spaghetti-junction-landscape.jpg

Nostra

April 26th, 2011, 09:50 AM

^^Beautiful :)

kiligoland

April 26th, 2011, 12:05 PM

amazing :cheers:

Pule

April 26th, 2011, 01:55 PM

Outstanding.

Durbsboi

June 20th, 2011, 02:42 PM

Work going on well at the Umgeni Road interchange. Will try and fish out some renders from my mates at Goba.

dysan1

June 20th, 2011, 02:46 PM

Do you have any connections for the one they doing at Ballito as well?

romanSA

June 27th, 2011, 02:16 PM

Major changes coming to Durban's roads soon...

-------------

Monday Jun 27, 2011

Durban bicycle plan kicks into gear

Think bike - for this is the future of eThekwini as the city begins massive construction of cycle lanes set to change the face of transport in the region.

In the coming weeks, eThekwini residents will have to put up with major construction and lane closures on the M4 northern freeway as the city begins to extend cycle routes in the Blue Lagoon and Umgeni Bird Park areas.

And soon cycle lanes will extend to other key city attractions such as the ICC and Wilson's Wharf, and then from Umhlanga to KwaMashu and Umlazi.

Carlos Esteves, deputy head of road system management, said this was part of the city's transport plan and a move towards non-motorised transport.

Electric bikes are another form of transport that the city is investing in to reduce vehicle traffic in the central business district.

"The contract for the widening of the M4 bridge for pedestrians/cycling has just been awarded.

"This will be linked to the Green Hub at Blue Lagoon and to the proposed extension of the beachfront walk/cycle promenade between Blue Lagoon and the Country Club beach," said Esteves. The work would cause disruption to the M4 bridge as lane closures would be required to accommodate construction, he said.

A ramp along the edge of the M4 offramp to Riverside Road and then all the way to the Bird Park will also be created.

The city will then begin the first phase of cycle routes between the ICC and the beachfront, Wilson's Wharf and the Botanic Gardens.

While Esteves acknowledged that there would be some challenges along the way, these lanes were part of the full network of cycling for the city. "This includes other systems in Umlazi, KwaMashu, Umhlanga, as well as linkages to rail stations etcetera which are in the planning stage." It would be early next year before that was "bedded down", he said

The city aims to have Metro officers patrolling the beachfront on electric bikes and other city staff will help "lead the way" in commuting, deliveries, and inter-CBD transport.

"We are trying to find ways of removing as much unnecessary vehicular traffic from the beachfront promenade as possible, as well as raising the profile of e-bikes (electric bikes) as an alternative mode of transport," said Esteves.

He said there were also significant environmental and health benefits to promoting cycling in the city.

"One of the barriers to the use of bicycles is the summer heat, as well as the fact that the climb to the Berea, for example, is discouraging. To look to counter these we believe ebikes provide a viable alternative for the 1-to 10-km journey," said Esteves.

While the cost-savings of this form of transport would "take time" to be realised, commuters might find themselves also using e-bikes in and around the city.

They would also be talking to businesses to see if there were ways to jointly encourage the use of nonmotorised transport in the CBDs, and make it popular, he said.

The Independant on Saturday

Posted at 06:34AM Jun 27, 2011 by Editor in Cities and Towns

http://www.iolproperty.co.za/roller/news/entry/durban_bicycle_plan_kicks_into

Durbsboi

June 27th, 2011, 03:22 PM

Do you have any connections for the one they doing at Ballito as well?

Interchange at Ballito? Nope, first Ive heard of it.

ToxicBunny

June 27th, 2011, 03:34 PM

I've noticed recently that they must be starting some of the construction of the Umgeni/N2 Interchange.. seeing speed limit reductions on temporary signs, as well as signs about Deep Excavation....

dysan1

June 27th, 2011, 04:59 PM

That bicycle news is the best thing ever!!! Will be easy access straight from across the river!! Perfect and well done to the city!

romanSA

June 30th, 2011, 07:34 AM

If you thought that was good news, check this out...

M4 bridge over Umgeni River is being widened to accommodate a continuation of the beachfront promenade, specifically a dedicated cycle and pedestrian 'lane' all the way to the Umgeni Bird Park. The riverfront promenande is being sponsored by a German bank. One of the fantastic spin-offs of hosting COP 17.

---------------------

Cross-post from beachfront thread...

The beachfront promenade is being extended over the Umgeni River (via a westward extension of the M4 bridge), all way to the Umgeni Park Park (and beach mangrove forest)!!! The best part is that construction is set to begin in DAYS and will be complete in time for COP 17 (late Nov 2011). Kudos to the city for doing this.

Now we'll have a dedicated beachfront and riverfront promenade. Probably the only city in Africa to have such a feature, and one of the few cities in the world too. It's a fantastic initiative to promote cycling and walking in the city.

--------------------

Wednesday Jun 29, 2011

New Durban bridge a boon to pedestrians and cyclists

Within days the final phase of Durban's vision to create an uninterrupted promenade all the way from uShaka to the Bird Park in Riverside Road will start with massive construction to widen the M4 bridge over the Umgeni River.

http://www.iolproperty.co.za/roller/news/resource/durban_bridge.jpg
Colin Alborough from Asphalt Construction in front of the Ellis Brown Viaduct.

Colin Alborough of Asphalt Construction - the company awarded the tender by the city - said that within a "couple of days" work on the bridge would begin to allow for a pedestrian and cycle lane on the upstream side of the river.

"We have already started pre-casting the 30m cross beams off site and started putting up our work base alongside the bridge today," he said on Monday.

Alborough said the job would inconvenience motorists. "We'll be putting in a whole new railing and concrete retaining wall. The city has requested the job should be finished by COP17 so we will fast-track as much as we can to meet that deadline."

Work on the M4 bridge - officially known as the Ellis Brown Viaduct and built in 1954 - will involve breaking up the current retaining wall and breaking into the existing pier to find the cross beams. "Then we will adjoin the 30m cross beams to create a widened pier along the entire bridge."

Carlos Esteves, the deputy head of road systems management at the city, said the completion of the promenade along the beachfront to Blue Lagoon over the M4 bridge to the Bird Park was being partly funded by a German bank, which was investing money in the city ahead of COP17. "Their proviso was that the money be spent on a cycling strategy. We've always wanted to extend the accessibility by bicycle to the city and beachfront and all the way from Umbilo to the Umgeni River.

"Ultimately we want a cycle lane through the Botanical Gardens to Glenwood Park. We already have nine walking routes and now this is the overlay for the cycling component. It's really finishing off what we started before the 2010 Fifa World Cup," he said.

Esteves said 10 electric bicycles were on the cards to provide more mobility for metro police patrolling along the beachfront. "At the moment they patrol in cars and it's not ideal. We gave them some electric bicycles to try out and the response was overwhelming."

The cycle route will also give the public better access to the protected mangroves and green hub which the city built at Blue Lagoon.

Christo Swart, from the city's parks and cemeteries department, said the widening of the bridge and the cycle route was a win for the whole city. "The whole development, including the eco hub at Blue Lagoon and the Riverside Road extension, will add value, not only to the people of this city. It will benefit the whole environment," he said.

Esteves said the R7 million contract to extend the cycle track to the Bird Park along Riverside Road had just been advertised and would be awarded shortly.

The Mercury

Posted at 09:58AM Jun 29, 2011 by Editor in Cities and Towns

http://www.iolproperty.co.za/roller/news/entry/new_durban_bridge_will_be

Durbsboi

July 1st, 2011, 02:37 PM

Okay went to Ballito today and used the N2 which means I paid Toll :rant: I see they have been escavating the sides and sort of molding the on ramps and offramps.

romanSA

July 27th, 2011, 10:30 AM

I see war coming, especially now that the new harbour is almost certainly going to be built in a few years in that area...

------------

Wild Coast toll road gets green light

Published in: Legalbrief Today
Date: Wed 27 July 2011
Category: Environmental
Issue No: 2847

After nearly 10 years of controversy, Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa has approved the construction of the Wild Coast toll road from Durban to East London, notes a report in The Mercury .

It adds she has rejected 50 legal appeals against the proposal, setting the stage for the construction of several new cash-collection points on the N2, including a major toll-plaza near Isipingo used by thousands of Durban commuters. Molewa side-stepped the thorny question of tolling commuters and local industries in South Durban, arguing that she had no authority to consider the cost and socio-economic implications. Her duty was to examine the physical and environmental impacts of the toll road infrastructure, whereas the Minister of Transport and the SA National Roads Agency were responsible for setting the toll fees and considering the social and economic ramifications. The report says because the decision only came to light yesterday, it was not yet clear whether opponents would challenge her decision in court.

http://www.legalbrief.co.za/article.php?story=20110727084807210

ToxicBunny

July 27th, 2011, 10:54 AM

That decision will get challenged in court.....

There is no way that the ppl who have been fighting will just give up.

dysan1

July 27th, 2011, 11:56 AM

Seems odd...they publically stated only a few months back that there would be NO toll within the Durban boundaries. If that has indeed changed, the city will be the first to open court precedings.

signol

July 28th, 2011, 08:56 AM

GREAT overhead shot of Durban's Spagetti Junction by Grant Pitcher

http://www.grantpitcher.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/spaghetti-junction-landscape.jpg

Nice as it is, I really don't know why people call it Spaghetti Junction. It is a simple design, 4 level stack, clean and symetrical. Not at all like spaghetti, or other junctions with that name! Eg. here (http://maps.google.co.uk/?ll=52.510612,-1.863792&spn=0.003689,0.009645&t=h&z=17).

signol

romanSA

July 28th, 2011, 01:18 PM

Wild Coast toll road gets green light
October 21 2010 at 11:16am

The N2 Wild Coast toll highway proposed by the Department of Environmental Affairs was welcomed by the Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency (ECPTA).

"We note that the process is subject to approval... However, we would like to express our support for the speedy implementation of the proposed project," said chief executive officer Sybert Liebenberg in a statement.

"We view it as being of major catalytic importance for the development of the whole of the Wild Coast," he said.

The proposed initiative involves the construction of a 560km toll road between the Gonubie interchange near East London in the Eastern Cape and the Isipingo interchange, near Durban, in KwaZulu-Natal.

The agency believes that the Wild Coast, which is in the unspoilt parts of the country and contains significant bio-diversity and tourism potential, would be well served by a road system that will increase access to it.

This would in turn create an enabling environment for unlocking the development potential of the area, Liebenberg said.

He said a Biodiversity Offset Agreement had also been proposed to mitigate any potential residual negative impacts of the project on natural habitats and bio-diversity conservation in the area.

"As the designated agency tasked with biodiversity, conservation and tourism in the Eastern Cape we applaud this proposal, as it supports both the mandate and the policy imperatives of the ECPTA," Liebenberg said. - Sapa

http://www.iol.co.za/travel/south-africa/wild-coast-toll-road-gets-green-light-1.890954

romanSA

July 28th, 2011, 01:25 PM

I think it's ridiculous and ironic that the Minister of Environmental Affairs has approved the road, and opponents are now thinking of lobbying the Minister of Transport. Shouldn't it be the other way around??? Of course, I'm sure opponents are hoping that being the immediately preceding Permier of KZN, the Min of Transport would see the economic damage this would do to KZN, especially south coast communities. However, since facilitating transport is now his portfolio, there's only a slim chance of that occuring. Maybe if he was Minister of Environmental Affairs, we'd have stronger hope. Hope the city leads the fight here...

---------------

Outrage over Wild Coast decision

28 July 2011 - 12:11
By Lauren Holley

There has been outcry from various groups over the decision by the Environmental Affairs Minister to approve the construction of the N2 Wild Coast Toll.

Minister Edna Molewa this week gave the project the green light after years of debate surrounding the controversial route which will have have six toll plazas and extend from East London to Isipingo, south of Durban.

Among those who opposed the toll road was eThekwini municipal manager Michael Sutcliffe, the KZN legislature and several business leaders.

The Wildlife and Environmental Society of South Africa (Wessa), which has vehemently campaigned against the toll, is disappointed by the decision.

Wessa spokesperson Chris Galliers says the Minister has failed to recognise importance of the biological diversity of the affected areas.

"That coastline is so important, it is so bio-diverse. [There are a] huge number of endemic species there; species that are found nowhere else in the world and it is the only part of our coastline that doesn't have a highway going through it. The Umkhumbathi area, that entire area, doesn't have any formal protection," said Galliers.

Galliers says they will now study the judgement and assess whether they can appeal the process.

Meanwhile, Ted Holden - from the Upper South Coast Anti-Toll Alliance, which has expressed concern about the economic impact of the toll - will now canvas the Minister of Transport.

"The Environmental Minister is basically out of our hands unless somebody can raise the funds to take her to court and challenge her decision. That is out of our hands, so the only possibility is to challenge the Minister of Transport because he is going to intend to toll," said Holden.

http://www.ecr.co.za/kagiso/content/en/east-coast-radio/east-coast-radio-news?oid=1305214&sn=Detail&pid=490476&Outrage-over-Wild-Coast-decision

dysan1

July 28th, 2011, 02:58 PM

This is going to get nasty as both the city and the province have both previously stated they were 100% against it. And initial comments by both have been stern.

Its shocking the level of power environmental affairs can have over what transport say.

Nostra

July 28th, 2011, 03:58 PM

annman

July 29th, 2011, 10:57 AM

I'm in favour of looking at a better alignment for the N2 through the former-Transkei. As long as all stops are pulled to assure the preservation and avoidance of real ecological areas of concern on the Wild Coast, I'm in favour. The area desperately needs tourism and other economic development.

But, I'm extremely against the tolling of the existing South Coast Freeway (N2). This is unacceptable and is basically making the people of the South Coast and southern Durban suburbs subsidise the road in the Eastern Cape. This is unacceptable. The freeway exists already and these residents will see almost no benefit.

The road can be tolled south of Port Shepstone, but must be viable in that section from far southern KZN to East London, and not rely on this unfair subsidy from the residents of southern Durbs. Also, if it is a national priority project for economic growth in that region, then put your money where you mouth is and the national treasury (Expanded Public Works Program) must subsidise the tolls in the Eastern Cape, not the residents of one area.

Hennie

August 2nd, 2011, 06:02 PM

Reminds me of the Bakwena toll: People using the existing busy N1 between Pretoria and Warmbaths (Bela-Bela) pays for the new N4 between Rustenburg and Pretoria which would not be financially viable otherwise. Same with the Witbank-Middelburg toll: it pays for a section of the N4 the commuters between these towns dont use.

Old trick, the Mooi toll plaza was introduced on the existing N3 the same time than the Tugela plaza/new section of N3 opened years ago between Escourt and Sand River. Same with Grasmere and Vaal. It would appear that just tolling a new road is not financially viable. The very first toll roads in SA, Tsitsikamma and Hugenot was partly subsidized by the state.

I am curious to see how the replacement pass for Van Reenen (new pass will be De Beers) will be funded: probably by a toll on the new road itself and then a toll between Durban and PMB. Dont be surprised!

shacky

August 3rd, 2011, 01:04 PM

Rather not say anything if you dont know anything about the biodiversity of the Wild Coast! A freeway immediately disconnects lands.

We all know road access to the Wild Coast has remained limited, which is why the scenery is so undisturbed. Now we want to put a flipping freeway through dense forests and rolling grasslands, home to hundreds of species that occur only there.

Pondoland (the northern part of the Wild Coast) is one of the main areas of plant diversity in the world, with Conservation International having designated it a global biodiversity ‘hotspot’.

It also serves as wintering grounds for countless migratory birds. If the plans become reality, an important building block of European ecology could be at risk.

You want to know what the people of the Wild Coast have to say?? I bet you most of the people do not even know these plans are inevitable! The majority of the population living on the Wild Coast are very rural, life is simple! Why would they want a freeway cutting their precious land in half! The consequences socially, economically and environmentally for them could be devastating, sometimes development in such areas is just not necessary, lets not forget the mining saga. Why would you want it? Just to have a nice freeway alignment down to Cape Town? Wheres the adventure in you! It may seem like just a road, but there could be more damage than you think.

And then you say you don't want the tolls, so then how do you pay off this freeway?

romanSA

August 15th, 2011, 08:32 AM

N3 closed again...

------------

KwaZulu-Natal’s N3 closed due to snow

Eyewitness News

KwaZulu-Natal’s Van Reenen’s Pass on Monday was closed to traffic because of heavy snow for the second time in one month.

The N3 Toll Concession’s Andy Visser said, “The N3 is closed to traffic travelling towards Durban at Harrismith and traffic travelling northbound at the Thukela Plaza is being diverted.”

In July, hundreds of vehicles were left stranded in deep snow drifts and the army was sent in to help.

http://www.eyewitnessnews.co.za/Story.aspx?Id=72051

Sand-Shark

December 29th, 2011, 12:37 PM

Anyone have any idea when the N3 on the Durban side of PMB to Cato Ridge is due for upgrade? It's appalling and I'm convinced it leads to accidents.

grantl

January 25th, 2012, 03:15 PM

Apparently the contractor (KNS Construction) has had some cash flow issues and work at the Ballito Interchange has stopped - They were re-tendering and hoping work would resume in March 2012.

dysan1

February 16th, 2012, 11:43 AM

Long over due considering how quickly Riverhorse Valley has grown from being vacant fields to a business area home to over 100 buildings in like 5 years. Most of which are massive industrial/manufacturing/warehousing.

Motorists warned of roadworks

February 16 2012 at 11:35am
By Daily News Reporter

INLSA

Work has begun on Durban’s Queen Nandi Drive to provide a three-lane, westbound carriageway from Marseilles Crescent in Briardene through to the N2 Interchange.

Municipal spokesman Thabo Mofokeng said the work was expected to be completed by July next year. Included in the planned construction was a second bridge over the Umhlangane River.

Meanwhile, final designs for a section of the Queen Nandi Drive westbound carriageway, from Chris Hani Road to Marseilles Crescent, were nearly complete, Mofokeng said.

This includes a three-lane carriageway in both directions, with a widening of the rail bridge abutment at the intersection of Chris Hani Road and Queen Nandi Drive. “Construction is anticipated to commence in June and be completed by December 2012.”

Projected costs for the two projects is R91 million. Mofokeng advised caution when driving or walking in the area.

Queries may be directed to the Project Manager, Trishen Ramlal, at 031 311 7829, or ramlalt@durban.gov.za. – Daily News Reporter

romanSA

February 22nd, 2012, 12:20 AM

Construction of Queen Nandi Drive

The eThekwini Municipality's Roads Provision Department has implemented the construction of Queen Nandi Drive, Phase 4. The construction works which commenced in January 2012 is programmed to take eighteen months to complete and is scheduled to be complete in July 2013.

This construction will provide a three lane westbound carriageway from Marseilles Crescent in Briardene through to the N2 Interchange. Included in the construction works is the second bridge over the Umhlangane River. Final designs for Phase 5 of Queen Nandi Drive, a section of the westbound carriageway from Chris Hani Road to Marseilles Crescent, are nearly complete.

The proposed works includes the construction of a three lane carriageway in both directions with a widening of the rail bridge abutment situated at the intersection of Chris Hani Road and Queen Nandi Drive. Construction for Phase 5 is anticipated to commence in June 2012 and be completed by December 2012.

The total project costs for Phase 4 and 5 is R91 million. Members of the public are advised to be cautious of construction plants and workmen within the construction area. Any queries in relation to the above may be directed to the Project Manager, Mr Trishen Ramlal on 031 311 7829 or on e-mail: ramlalt@durban.gov.za

For more information contact Thabo Mofokeng on 031 311 4820 or 0827317456 or e-mail mofokengthabo@durban.gov.za

Issued by the eThekwini’s Communications Unit, contact Gugu Mdlalose on 031 311 4807 or email mdlaloseg@durban.gov.za

http://www.durban.gov.za/media_publications/News/Sub%20News/Pages/Construction-of-Queen-Nandi-Drive.aspx

grantl

February 29th, 2012, 10:00 AM

I am surprised no-one has any info on the improvements to the N2 that are currently underway. From Mt Edgecombe to the Tongaat toll plaza they are adding an extra lane each way, upgrading the Mt Edgecombe and Mhloti interchange and widening 2 bridges. From what I have heard it will take over 30 months to complete.

ToxicBunny

February 29th, 2012, 10:09 AM

Ron2K

February 29th, 2012, 11:33 AM

^^ Suppose KSIA has a lot to do with that. :)

grantl

February 29th, 2012, 01:11 PM

This is what I have found for the 2 interchanges:

Improvements to the Mt Edgecombe Interchange:
Additional loop ramp for east to north directional traffic within the existing road reserve. Re-alignment of the existing off-ramp for south to east/west traffic to accommodate the additional loop ramp, all within the existing road reserve.

Improvement to the uMdloti Interchange:
Widening for an additional ramp lane for the south to east/west traffic within the existing road reserve.

I was under the impression the Mt Edgecombe interchange was to be moved ? and access to Umhlanga would be down towards Porsche ? Obviously not the case if they upgrading this one...

dysan1

March 8th, 2012, 04:16 PM

^^the interchange by Porsche is the cornubia interchange and is still very much planned. it has always been planned that there would be two interchanges. good to see this much needed work finally going ahead

ToxicBunny

March 9th, 2012, 07:20 AM

Would be nice to see what its supposed to look like when its all done.

They're moving along quite swiftly with the n2/m19 interchange as well, quite a few of the support pylons are up.

annman

March 11th, 2012, 01:12 PM

http://www.iol.co.za/polopoly_fs/busrep-logo2-1.688666!/image/1010549842.jpg_gen/derivatives/absolute/1010549842.jpg

Plans for more tolls shelved - report

March 11 2012 at 11:36am
By SAPA

Plans for new toll roads around Cape Town, in KwaZulu-Natal, and Gauteng are set to be shelved, City Press reported on Sunday.

A “well-placed senior government source” told the paper these projects - which included the second phase of the Gauteng freeway improvement project Ä would not go ahead after mass protests organised by Cosatu last week.

“The public protest was successful in this respect,” the source said.

Thousands of people joined protests on Wednesday against the tolls.

The only new toll road which would proceed would be the N2 in the Eastern Cape. But only two toll booths would be built, one at each end of the road, so local traffic would not have to pay.

But the Gauteng tolling scheme would not be scrapped completely, City Press quoted its source as saying. Motorists would still need to pay a toll to travel between Johannesburg and Pretoria. Tolling of the first phase of the Gauteng project was expected to start on April 30.

“If we cancel this project, Sanral (the SA National Roads Agency) is liable for R37 billion debt... We are just going to push ahead,” the source told the paper. - Sapa

romanSA

June 1st, 2012, 10:47 AM

Friday Jun 01, 2012

Repairs to KZN roads a priority. R3.7 Billion 'Not enough, but a start'

The rapidly deteriorating state of KwaZuluNatal's potholed roads has forced the province to switch its strategy from building new roads to maintaining the road network, with 70 percent of its R7.4 billion 2012/13 budget being channelled towards achieving this objective.

Delivering his budget speech in the legislature in Pietermaritzburg yesterday, Transport MEC Willies Mchunu said the maintenance backlog was rapidly increasing because the majority of provincial roads were 25 years old.

"They have reached a delicate and a dangerous situation and are affected by even the slightest rainfall. If we do not do road maintenance immediately we will have a crisis on our hands," warned Mchunu.

He said from the infrastructure budget, R3.7bn would go towards maintenance, with R1.5bn set aside for the construction of new projects. Potholes alone, which have become a major problem in KZN roads, would account for R180 million of the money set aside for maintenance.

Mchunu said the number of potholes was one of the challenges preventing the KZN road network from fulfilling its core function.

"About 80 percent of our roads are more than 25 years old and the design life of a road is 25 years. The lifespan of such roads can be prolonged only if regular and proper maintenance has been carried out," he said.

"Unfortunately the occurrence of regular maintenance has been minimal due to a shortage of funds for such programmes."

Mchunu said the maintenance included re gravelling, blacktop patching, reseals, safety and special maintenance.

"Although there is an increase in allocation, the budget allocated to maintenance is not sufficient to drastically reduced backlogs in maintenance," he said.

"It is, however, a start in the correct direction to maintain the existing provincial road network."

The DA's spokesman on transport, Radley Keys, commended the department for putting greater weight on maintenance than on the construction of new roads.

"Let us maintain what we have before we indulge in the construction of new roads. It is a difficult balance, but we must reach it sooner rather than later," said Keys.

Mchunu also announced that his department would roll out the provision of pupil transport to 13 000 children in the province at a cost R108m.

However, he said this was not enough, as R3bn was required to provide sufficient transport for needy pupils.

The Mercury

Posted at 09:36AM Jun 01, 2012 by Editor in Cities and Towns

http://www.iolproperty.co.za/roller/news/entry/repairs_to_kzn_roads_a

Hennie

June 1st, 2012, 03:51 PM

They have started work on the Oliviershoek Pass about 2 years ago. So far the only work done was the introduction of 2 stop/gos. Very little other work was done and nothing was done for over a year now. The road (R74) is basically a narrow dirt track now. In all fairness this is Free State but the KZN part of this road is not much better.

Considering both the vulnerability and strategic importance of Van Reenens Pass it boggles the mind how this very important (and only) alternative route could be neglected. Maybe collecting tolls is more important than the need to have a backup for the N3.

annman

June 3rd, 2012, 07:13 PM

^^ Answer is simple: Pathetic governance... period. It is shameful such a strategic alternative route between Durbs and Joburg isn't maintained. Something you simply DO NOT see happening in this section of the country.

Awesome.e

June 4th, 2012, 09:28 AM

Its true. I am from Cape Town and now in Joburg, the road conditions here (besides the GFIP) is very bad compared to Cape Town. Many roads in the suburbs don't even have street lights.

annman

June 4th, 2012, 12:41 PM

^^ The huge gulf in governance is widening by the month and is really beginning to worry me. Even without the Western Cape being an independent entity, the huge disparity between it and other provinces is almost making it appear as a de facto independent entity, looking more-and-more like another nation in upkeep, infrastructure, governance and policy implementation.

Anyways, going off on a tangent. I do hope the new couple billion released by the KZN legislature for road improvements will help address these issues, plus think it's about from TRAC N3 took a look at designing the De Beers Pass route very soon.

dysan1

June 28th, 2012, 06:22 PM

Further Details on the N2 Umgeni interchange

CONSTRUCTION WORKS:

•Two new overpass viaducts across the N2 with their related ramps
•Two overpass structures with dedicated ramps to replace two at grade intersections
•A dedicated loop ramp together with three new additional directional ramps to and from the N2
•Extension of Elf Place between Kennedy Road and Bisasar Road using BE Contractors who are also SMME contractors

ROAD WORKS:

•Protection and/or relocation of existing services
•Relocating, upgrading and extending of existing Stormwater network
•Clearing and Grubbing
•Bulk Earthworks
•Selected Sub grade layers and Cement stabilized Sub base layers
•G1 crushed stone Base and Bituminous black Base
•Paving Continuously graded ashphalt layer topped with Ultra Thin Friction Course (UTFC)
•Related ancillary works (Kerbing, Road signs, Grassing, Erosion protection etc)

STRUCTURAL WORKS:

BRIDGES

•Bridge B0150 (Ramp A1) is a 6 span continuous post tensioned single cell box girder with an overall length of 525.5m and a width of 11.9m. The central section is incrementally launched.
•Bridge B0152 (Ramp A2) is a 3 span composite deck of precast pre tensioned beams with a length of 70.13m
•Bridge B0151 (Ramp D1) is a 6 span continuous post tensioned single cell box girder with an overall length of 525.5m and a width of 11.9m. The central section is incrementally launched.
•Bridge B0153 (Ramp D2) is a 5 span continuously voided deck with an overall length of 119.25m
•Two Pedestrian Bridges using a cast in-situ T beam of 75m and 170m respectively.
•Underpass under Ramp C2
CULVERTS

•Transet Pipeline Culvert will be extended on both sides by a total length of 85m
•Three Stormwater Culvert extensions
• 1.5m x 1.5m Double Cell by 35m
• 1.8m x 1.8m Double Cell by 10m
• 2.4m x 2.4m Single Cell by 360m
WALLS

Three types of walls are to be constructed:

•Reinforced Earth Walls
•Reinforced Concrete Walls
•Block Retaining Walls

dysan1

June 28th, 2012, 06:30 PM

Construction Progress

http://www.exrconstruction.co.za/images/projects/umgeni/umgeni1.jpg

http://www.exrconstruction.co.za/images/projects/umgeni/umgeni3.jpg

http://www.exrconstruction.co.za/images/projects/umgeni/umgeni2.jpg

http://www.exrconstruction.co.za/images/projects/umgeni/umgeni4.jpg

ToxicBunny

June 28th, 2012, 07:06 PM

They are making decent progress on this.. I drive through this area everyday and there is always something happening.

grantl

August 23rd, 2012, 12:29 PM

N3 - M13 Link Road

Looks like there is some rumblings here of another road, and they have given up on redoing Stockville road altogether (MR360)

After KZN Provincial Department of Transport and eThekwini decided that the much hyped MR 360, which would have linked the M13 with the N3, was a no-go for at least the next 20 years, if at all, because of costs, the baton has now been picked up by SANRAL.

What was once the MR 360 is now being referred to as the M13 Link Road and will be a 4 lane dual carriageway stretching from the M13 / Gillitts interchange to the Mohagany Ridge interchange.

The proposed new works and upgrades to existing infrastructure include the following elements:
Relocation of the existing Stockvillel Westmead intersection and upgrading to a signalised intersection;
- Realignment of the crossroad to accommodate the new intersection;
- Construction of the new M13 Link Road, a four-lane dual carriageway, between the abovementioned intersection and the M13 at Gillitts Interchange;
- Horizontal and vertical realignment of both carriageways of the M13 in the vicinity of the Gillitts Interchange to pass over the M13 Link Road;
- Construction of the M13 Link Road immediately adjacent to the M13 to tie into Old Main Road into Hillcrest via an elevated structure;
- Upgrading of the M13/Gillitts Interchange to enable access to and from the - M13 Link Road from Old Main Road (R103) through Gillitts.

This is an extensive project and the date set for the EIA (phase 2) decision is June 2013. Some important dates to be aware of are;
October / November 2012 – Public participation notification period
October 2012 – Public meeting

Residents should not panic as this project may or may not go ahead dependent on the various studies, including EIA and cost. Some residents are going to be upset as this project will require expropriation of land, I urge you to make your voices heard by attending the public meeting(s).

This Link Road is needed when you consider the amount of traffic on Fields Hill, and it is only going to get worse. However some of the many questions that need to be asked are; How will it be paid for, will it be tolled? Are trucks going to be forced to use it, or will they continue to use Fields Hill?
An application for this proposed development is being submitted to the National Department of Environmental Affairs currently.

http://www.ward10.co.za/media/m13-n3-linkroad.asp

dysan1

August 23rd, 2012, 01:07 PM

Interesting... I am trying to figure out where on earth this is

ToxicBunny

August 23rd, 2012, 01:37 PM

I'm thinking its this road in the centre of the map :

https://maps.google.co.za/?ll=-29.810114,30.810256&spn=0.032135,0.038581&t=h&z=15

Ron2K

August 23rd, 2012, 02:21 PM

Sounds like it's basically Stockville Road in the same area but on a different alignment.

grantl

August 23rd, 2012, 03:53 PM

It does a bit, but 4 lanes are going to take up some serious space, and there is no way they'll get those 4 lanes into the upper section of Stockville where all the townhouse complexes are...

Not sure where and how they plan on joining it with "Gillitts Interchange" - I take that to be the Everton Rd exit ? I am looking forward to seeing the plans in the coming months...

ToxicBunny

August 23rd, 2012, 09:12 PM

They could route it into into the valley nearby...

Stockville road though has relatively wide verges for them to use

Ron2K

August 23rd, 2012, 10:20 PM

Sand-Shark

October 15th, 2012, 11:54 PM

The new 3-level interchange in PMB is almost complete although widening of the freeway and off-ramps still has a long way to go.

http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv172/sand-shark/photo_zps6133c214.jpg
http://i681.photobucket.com/albums/vv172/sand-shark/photo_zps56ca92e5.jpg

romanSA

October 17th, 2012, 10:38 PM

Nice! Thanks for sharing. :)

dysan1

December 5th, 2012, 08:04 AM

scoping report on the N2 widening from Umhlanga/M41 interchange to King Shaka Airport

http://www.terratest.co.za/files/downloads/N2%20Section%2026%20Upgrade/3.%20App%20B%20-%20Photographs.pdf

This is separate from the massive project to turn the N2/M41 interchange into bigger than Spagetti Junction

ToxicBunny

December 5th, 2012, 08:19 AM

N2/M41 into bigger than Spaghetti Junction?

*sigh*

That means the traffic at that intersection will be chaos for years while they build it...

dysan1

December 5th, 2012, 08:29 AM

without a doubt... BUT with Cornubia rapidly developing it would be a nightmare without it...

ToxicBunny

December 5th, 2012, 08:50 AM

without a doubt... BUT with Cornubia rapidly developing it would be a nightmare without it...

Oh, totally. Its incredibly necessary, but it will just make my trip to work a nightmare while they do it....

Will actually be quite cool when its all finished, three bigish interchanges like that on the freeway will be impressive.

dysan1

December 5th, 2012, 09:28 AM

maybe a routing via umgeni road to the m4 might be in order then... how is that interchange progressing?

ToxicBunny

December 5th, 2012, 09:36 AM

maybe a routing via umgeni road to the m4 might be in order then... how is that interchange progressing?

Its coming along, about another year before its finished I think. most of the pylons are up now, and they seem to be starting to work on some of the road deck stuff...

But yeah, once its finished the Umgeni/M4 route will be the order of the day... think it will actually be a bit more pleasant.

dysan1

December 5th, 2012, 09:42 AM

massive road works all over the city then

ToxicBunny

December 5th, 2012, 10:00 AM

massive road works all over the city then

Yup... causing lots of chaos..

N2/N3 is a mess every morning and afternoon..

M13 is a mess all over because they're resurfacing...
M4 is a mess as well because of roadworks and lighting infrastructure going in
M19 is a mess because of the N2 interchange..

When they're all done it will be great, but its just a bit of a pain of late in terms of traffic.. takes me an extra 15 minutes to get to work now.. the horror :nuts:

dysan1

December 5th, 2012, 10:03 AM

^^ it is only going to get worse with the IRPTN work starting next year!

What lighting they doing on the M4? the northern stretch?

juanw

December 5th, 2012, 10:09 AM

Direct link to the full N2 report:

http://www.terratest.co.za/files/downloads/N2%20Section%2026%20Upgrade/BID%20-%20Amendment%20-%20Full.pdf

juanw

December 5th, 2012, 10:11 AM

Its over the Umgeni River bridge.

^^ it is only going to get worse with the IRPTN work starting next year!

What lighting they doing on the M4? the northern stretch?

ToxicBunny

December 5th, 2012, 10:24 AM

^^ it is only going to get worse with the IRPTN work starting next year!

What lighting they doing on the M4? the northern stretch?

Yeah, they've lit most of the stretch from Argyle to the bridge, looks like they're completing it now...

Its gonna be nice when its done.

They other thing they're doing that I've noticed, is with the resurfacing of the M13, they're tidying up the pull over for trucks just after Stapleton... its actually a hell of a lot bigger than I knew since they've cleared all the overgrowth now.

dysan1

December 5th, 2012, 10:31 AM

Yeah, they've lit most of the stretch from Argyle to the bridge, looks like they're completing it now...

Its gonna be nice when its done.

They other thing they're doing that I've noticed, is with the resurfacing of the M13, they're tidying up the pull over for trucks just after Stapleton... its actually a hell of a lot bigger than I knew since they've cleared all the overgrowth now.

oh that was nearly finished when i left at the begining of the year... slow?

ToxicBunny

December 5th, 2012, 10:32 AM

Direct link to the full N2 report:

http://www.terratest.co.za/files/downloads/N2%20Section%2026%20Upgrade/BID%20-%20Amendment%20-%20Full.pdf

Yussie, the M41/N2 interchange is going to be an absolute BEAST if they do that work...

ToxicBunny

December 5th, 2012, 10:33 AM

oh that was nearly finished when i left at the begining of the year... slow?

I'm guessing the budget was shifted elsewhere for some reason.. it only seems to be a few more lightpoles they're putting in.

I will try and get some photos of the M13 truck pull off though...

dysan1

December 5th, 2012, 10:48 AM

Leftfoot

December 5th, 2012, 10:49 AM

Direct link to the full N2 report:

http://www.terratest.co.za/files/downloads/N2%20Section%2026%20Upgrade/BID%20-%20Amendment%20-%20Full.pdf

Any idea when this is set to begin? Hmmm my daily commute is going to be a nightmare, not that it isnt already.....but it all seems pretty logical, always heavy congestion there.

ToxicBunny

December 5th, 2012, 10:50 AM

Whoa, just looked at the plans... insane... thats going to be a nightmare zone for the next few years!

And see the N2 at 7 lanes each side in certain parts, clearly shows the massive growth northwards

I thought you knew what the plans looked like :).... but yeah, massively insane, I think driving along the N2 from the airport into Durban will be impressive, first the m41 interchange, then the umgeni, then spaghetti junction (if they upgrade that as well)

juanw

December 5th, 2012, 10:55 AM

The tender for contractors went out a month or 2 back, so probably looking at starting in the new year I assume?

Any idea when this is set to begin? Hmmm my daily commute is going to be a nightmare, not that it isnt already.....but it all seems pretty logical, always heavy congestion there.

dysan1

December 5th, 2012, 11:05 AM

so its a definate go-go...

any word on when the rest of the plans kick in? i.e the widening for N2 from north coast road? same time?

What about the noise we were hearing about the spagetti junction upgrade and expansion too?

Leftfoot

December 5th, 2012, 11:10 AM

Looking at that plan....and Im no fundi by any means....Im trying to figure out where RAMP A-B goes to? Cornubia?

dysan1

December 5th, 2012, 11:25 AM

that will be toward the new Cornubia Boulevard and bridge that crosses the n2 to join the gateway side at umhlanga ridge boulevard... by Porsche

Leftfoot

December 5th, 2012, 11:26 AM

that will be toward the new Cornubia Boulevard and bridge that crosses the n2 to join the gateway side at umhlanga ridge boulevard... by Porsche

Cool, Thanks for that!

juanw

December 5th, 2012, 04:22 PM

From what I understand, I think the contract does include the N2 widening, but not 100% sure...

As for the Spagetti Junction, the designs are still busy being done for it, then it is the issue of sourcing funds (from a SAICE presentation I attended a while ago, apparently it is around R600m for the upgrade :nuts:)

so its a definate go-go...

any word on when the rest of the plans kick in? i.e the widening for N2 from north coast road? same time?

What about the noise we were hearing about the spagetti junction upgrade and expansion too?

dysan1

December 5th, 2012, 05:13 PM

R600m?? what on earth are they planning as thats a lot and sounds massive! how much is this costing? umgeni rd is only like R200m right?

ToxicBunny

December 5th, 2012, 05:48 PM

Jees, that is a mental amount of money...

juanw

December 5th, 2012, 07:01 PM

Could be due to that whole arch thing they were taking about?

Switch

December 6th, 2012, 07:11 AM

Looking through the plans it looks like it is from Phenix to Ballito. Includes an new intersection at Gateway, Widening of the bridge over the Umhlanga river, Widening the Bridge over the Umhloti intersection and widening of the bridge over the Umhloti river. There is some massive earth works to be done between KSIA and Umhloti.

Does anyone have info about the Ballito off ramp?

annman

December 6th, 2012, 08:09 AM

^^ Love it... Durbs is getting some damn cool interchanges.

Also can't figure out that lone offramp going off N2 north to nowhere north of the M41... perhaps a new "Ultra City" or something? Or a new road headed due north from the interchange: Like an N2 frontage road?

dysan1

December 6th, 2012, 11:18 AM

^^ see the earlier response of mine. its to connect to Cornubia Boulevard and other bridge over the N2 to connect Cornubia Boulevard and Umhlanga Ridge Boulevard at the point where the Porsche dealership is

Hennie

December 6th, 2012, 04:05 PM

romanSA

December 6th, 2012, 04:58 PM

I would love to see all these changes, especially linking both parts of the M4. But who's going to fund all this?

dysan1

December 6th, 2012, 05:41 PM

Durban is too dependant on the N2. It would be better to develop a parallel link at some stage rather than keeping on improving the N2. Durban has a very poorly developed network of freeways, all sub-freeways branching off the N2/N3 are always dead-ends (in the sense that they become ordinary roads with traffic signals), excepting part of the M13 which is not a east/west link. A vital step is the provision of a free-flow link from the N2 onto the M4 in the Umhlanga region, widening the M4 to 3+3 and constructing a freeway link in the city area so that the two M4 pieces becomes one continuous freeway.

while your points are valid, you could say the exact same thing about Joburg and Cape town.

in joburg going east to west is pathetic and anywhere within the ring road has no freeway.

in cape town they have a less developed freeway system than both of joburg and durban hence their nightmare traffic.

there needs to be a n3/n2 bypass in durban. something from like cato ridge branching off to umhloti or something, will it happen? not any time soon

annman

December 7th, 2012, 02:13 PM

^^ Our traffic is definitely not as bad as Jo'burg's IMO. However, it would be beneficial if we had a completed R300 linking the N7 at Melkbos to the N1 and N2 to the M5 north of Muizenberg.

Johannesburg desperately needs the N17 (as western freeway) to be extended south of the CBD and linking the M1 to the N1 near Florida and onwards to Krugersdorp to the N14.

Durban would be MUCH better if they simply had a seemless link between the M4 and N2 as Hennie stated somewhere around Umdloti and the M4 was 2-2 from there to Umhlanga and 3-3 from La Lucia to the CBD. They also must upgrade the N2/M7 interchange to a full-freeway interchange so the M7 is a proper freeway from the N3 to the N2 south.

dysan1

December 7th, 2012, 04:15 PM

The next phase of work on the M4 is the new alignment over the umhloti river to unlock new land parcels. it will run inbetween the current m4 and the n2 and will connect with n2 and king shaka at the new king shaka interchange

dysan1

December 9th, 2012, 05:25 PM

Mega road junction takes shape

November 27 2012 at 11:08am

INLSA
Work continues apace on Durban’s new Umgeni Road interchange on the N2, which is expected to be completed by September next year. It will include four flyover bridges on four levels and is expected to decrease peak-hour traffic bottlenecks in the area. Run by the SA National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral), the R360 million project began in April last year, with about R120m provided by the eThekwini Municipality. Ravi Ronny, a Sanral senior project engineer, said the upgrade would be the company’s biggest road infrastructure development in the province.

http://www.iol.co.za/polopoly_fs/nd-interchange2-1.1431420!/image/902984607.jpg_gen/derivatives/box_300/902984607.jpg

Picture: Puri Devjee

Lydon

December 9th, 2012, 06:59 PM

^^ Our traffic is definitely not as bad as Jo'burg's IMO.

According to TomTom's live traffic data, overall Joburg has the worst, followed by Cape Town not too far behind and Durban quite a distant third :)

Thankfully I use the N1 so I sit in traffic for 10 minutes every day on average, even during peak hours!

ToxicBunny

December 9th, 2012, 09:20 PM

Gotta love the fact that Durbs is a distant third, but we're still doing massive road upgrades... want to keep my commute quick :)

dysan1

December 10th, 2012, 04:35 AM

the difference with Durban is that traffic is funneled onto the main motorways hence the massive scale of them and the extra investment. In joburg and a far lesser degree in cape town, there has been zero road and nodal planning and hence normal suburban roads have to deal with traffic volumes they never should be handling. So if you compare the highways the cities are very similar, its just durbs does not have the chaos on our normal suburban roads, hence less of a nightmare if u never use the highway.

Another interesting fact is that with the growth of umhlanga the N2 has grown immensely, due to the long 50-70km one way commutes people make from ptn and hillcrest. This funnels to the n2/n3 and once again hence the chaos. An alternative rd is needed, hence investments into umgeni rd interchange to try encourage that.

ToxicBunny

December 10th, 2012, 06:15 AM

dysan1

December 10th, 2012, 06:27 AM

ToxicBunny

December 10th, 2012, 07:22 AM

^^ yeah they are a mess because some stupid people want to live so far from their work or in different cities to where they work...

also back to my point of non existant east/west routes due to poor planning. And frankly that traffic situation in joburg will never improve until people stop the mindset of living far from work and developments do more intense mixed use walkable developments... sadly nothing in jhb bar a tiny bit in Rosebank is doing this. Even the new waterfall city development is a joke in this respect. Sandton and its new developments highlight this perfectly, zero thought of getting people off the roads and getting them to walk.

Very def can't deny this one in the slightest. My only motivation for living so damn far from the office in JHB was it was all I could afford rent wise.

In DBN I do live further from the office, but again its a cost issue, my offices being in Umhlanga mean I can't actually afford to buy property in this area, so I've gone to Pinetown because I like the area and its affordable.

Hennie

December 10th, 2012, 01:04 PM

It is easy to say people stay too far from work but this issue is rather complex for some: I travel 70km daily (35+35), my office is south-east from where we stay.
My wife travel only 6km (3+3) whereas my children travel by bus to a school 10km west from us. So moving house is rather pointless...

In Joburg the freeways are the only roads that have been improved in recent years. I have mixed feelings about E-Toll considering that if it goes ahead we will get some sorely needed new freeways. Other road construction in Jhb is completely limited to new traffic lights at new shopping centres.

GregPz

December 11th, 2012, 09:05 AM

According to TomTom's live traffic data, overall Joburg has the worst, followed by Cape Town not too far behind and Durban quite a distant third :)

The Tom Tom Congestion Index report is pretty interesting, here's the link https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B1ldx8EjkiXCUU5xSG9uT21KSDg/edit?pli=1

Congestion levels at 32% in Joburg, 27% CT and 16% Durban. And Joburg and Cape Town face annual delays of 87 and 83 hours respectively compared to Durban's 46. Won't be complaining so much about my commute any more!

dysan1

December 11th, 2012, 09:08 AM

Hennie

December 11th, 2012, 09:18 AM

Valid points.

For me the Crux of the issue is:

Lack of provision of good public transport for all walks of life
No good east west highway
zoning that has allowed development everywhere with little thought of implications instead of encouraging nodes.

Amen

romanSA

December 11th, 2012, 09:21 AM

I'm looking forward to the new N2-N3 link from the digout harbour to near Cato Ridge, although I'm not sure if it will be a dedicated truck route. Either way, it will take a huge strain off Spagetti Junction and cut at least 20-30 mins off the current journey from the west to the South Coast.

dysan1

December 11th, 2012, 09:33 AM

and if done properly will unlock new development nodes along it

romanSA

April 22nd, 2013, 03:49 PM

What is SANRAL smoking??? It seems to think KZN, already the most tolled province, is a golden goose to be further exploited! Idiots!

-----------------

‘Potential’ new N3 toll still on the cards

April 22 2013 at 01:44pm
By Bernadette Wolhuter and Sapa

Independent Newspapers

Another toll plaza between Durban and Pietermaritzburg is still on the table. This emerged in a parliamentary portfolio committee meeting on transport strategic planning addressed by the chief executive officer of Sanral, Nazir Ali last week.

It comes on the back of a raging debate on tolling in Gauteng and plans for more tolls on the N1 and N2 in the Western Cape.

The DA’s MP Ian Ollis said the proposed new toll roads were the N3 Durban to Pietermaritzburg, N12 Kimberley to Joburg, N1 ring road at Musina, N1 Kroonstad to Winburg, and N1 Botlokwa Interchange.

“These new toll roads are in addition to the N1-N2 Winelands toll road in the Western Cape, the N2 Wild Coast toll road in the Eastern Cape and e-tolls in Gauteng,” he said on Sunday.

On Sunday night Sanral spokesman Vusi Mona reacted angrily to Ollis’s comments.

The roads mentioned by Ali at the meeting were “potential” toll roads, he said.

“If studies show that they are not viable and tolling is not the best way to finance them, then the potential is dead,” he said.

“We will never promote projects that are not viable. We are not building new toll roads. The only two toll roads in the pipeline are the N1-N2 Winelands and the N2 Wild Coast.”

Mona said there was a long process before a road was declared a toll road and ministerial approval as well as environmental impact assessment studies needed to be done.

It would not happen without consulting with the affected communities and conducting socio-economic impact studies, he said.

In 2010, The Mercury reported discussions were under way for a new toll near Pietermaritzburg but this was met with strong opposition.

On Sunday trade union federation Cosatu vowed to oppose the Durban to Pietermaritzburg toll.

Provincial secretary Zet Luzipho said KwaZulu-Natal was already the “most tolled” province.

“The economic implications of more toll roads would be dire,” he added. “Transport would become too costly. It would affect workers.

“I would be disappointed if a decision on a new toll plaza was taken without consulting the RFA,” Gavin Kelly of the Road Freight Association (RFA) said.

The new toll road would increase the cost of logistics and an impact study would have to be done before a decision could be taken on its implementation.

Ollis added: “It will increase the price of doing business, result in food price increases and will inevitably undermine economic growth and job creation.

“It is imperative that before any road is declared a toll road, the impact of the proposed route is considered by the public, as well as local and provincial government.”

Previous reports showed there were scenarios that could motivate a Durban-Pietermaritzburg toll.

There are plans to create a new trucking route from Durban to Cato Ridge, where there is a proposal to set up a container distribution hub to reduce the number of trucks on the N3 from Durban to Joburg.

If the toll goes ahead, containers would be shifted from the Durban harbour directly to Cato Ridge and then railed to Joburg.

However, the plan was that the new route would be a dedicated trucks-only route to separate trucks from cars, which falls under the dig-out harbour proposal.

Alternatively, there is no toll plaza between Mariannhill and Pietermaritzburg, which is a busy route and expensive to maintain. Sanral could be thinking about a toll plaza in the vicinity of Cato Ridge or Camperdown. - The Mercury

http://www.thepost.co.za/potential-new-n3-toll-still-on-the-cards-1.1504354#.UXU78KNj5jc

ToxicBunny

April 22nd, 2013, 06:47 PM

SANRAL couldn't give two rocks about any of the people actually PAYING the tolls, or their economic impact.. they just want MORE money.

grantl

April 23rd, 2013, 03:04 PM

If they moved the Marianhill toll plaza to Camperdown, it would sort out the trucks using the M13, They could increase the toll price slightly and then fund a massive upgrade to the Dbn - Pmb freeway which is dire at the moment. It really needs to be at least 4 lanes each way. Then I will happily pay the toll.

Ron2K

April 23rd, 2013, 03:51 PM

Outer West people: what's the progress with upgrading the road between Hillcrest and Waterfall?

romanSA

April 23rd, 2013, 03:58 PM

Outer West people: what's the progress with upgrading the road between Hillcrest and Waterfall?

Work is progressing at full steam. One can see changes on a weekly basis. The current focus is between Waterfall Mall and Cotswold Downs vs between Hillcrest (Old Main Road / Inanda Rd intersection) and Cotswold Downs.

Hennie

April 23rd, 2013, 05:13 PM

Most of the tolls from the Pietermaritsburg - Durban road would be spend on the new de Beers Pass. Whenever Sanral built a brand new road they look for an existing road to toll as well.

That is why they want toll gates at Amanzimtoti. The new Wild Coast Rd alone would not be lucrative. That is why they need so many new toll plazas on the N2 between Bot River and Cape Town. Tolling only the new Helderberg Bypass is not lucrative. That too is why we have a toll plaza at Mooi River on the N3, it was put up at the same time than the Tugela Toll Plaza. Both pay for the N3 between Sand River and Estcourt.

ToxicBunny

April 23rd, 2013, 06:43 PM

Another toll between Durbs and PMB would quite literally be too much for the economy in my opinion.

dysan1

April 24th, 2013, 08:48 AM

KZN already is the main toll funder. The provincial and city government are against anymore until the toll burden is spread equally into the Cape and other regions that currently are virtually toll free

annman

April 24th, 2013, 10:29 AM

^^ Our provincial and local government simply won't allow that without huge protestation and legal action. So, you can basically put that idea on hold. SANRAL is up for a huge fight in the Western Cape. Here, they're not only dealing with a 'hostile' road-user, they're dealing with a 'hostile' government, that would rather take roads from SANRAL (booting them out of the province entirely) and hand it to the WC Dept. of Transport & Public Works, than see them tolled.

ToxicBunny

April 24th, 2013, 11:01 AM

TBH, it would be interesting to see SANRAL get their arses handed to them in KZN and the WC...

One can only hope that such a thing happens.

annman

April 24th, 2013, 11:07 AM

Well, they have no friends here, so that may become a reality. When the overwhelming majority of the population, ALL local governments, the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape Provincial Government is completely in the other camp, SANRAL is going to be coming up against monumental odds against tolling. With elections coming up in 2014, even the WC-ANC cannot do anything, but align with the anti-tolling camp. Even if their national government was the brainchild of this nonsense and they voted against initiating an inter-governmental dispute in the Cape Town Council.

dysan1

April 24th, 2013, 01:35 PM

The big question has to be asked then, how will new roads be paid for?

dysan1

April 24th, 2013, 01:38 PM

what I also do not get is why the cape is so toll toad free on national routes? Its really not balanced at all. I am not a toll supporter, but these roads have to be paid someway

annman

April 24th, 2013, 02:51 PM

The big question has to be asked then, how will new roads be paid for?
Have you seen my posts in the Cape Town Roads thread? That's how roads get paid for, through good governance and effective infrastructure spend. When you have a non-corrupt government, you free up funding for what it's supposed to be used for... the public, services and national assets.

Plus, the Western Cape refuses to hand over control of routes to SANRAL. A few years ago SANRAL tried to get their hands on the R60. The provincial government refused. Also, all urban freeways in Cape Town are managed by the province or the city, so SANRAL has limited jurisdiction. They only have the N1, N2 and N7 from the edge of the metro to the provincial borders. In almost all other provinces, numerous "R" routes and most urban freeways fall under SANRAL jurisdiction.

juanw

April 24th, 2013, 03:53 PM

^^ and the weird thing is, SANRAL's network is pretty good in the other provinces, as opposed to the provincial controlled roads which don't even get grass cutting done, never mind fixing potholes

SANRAL is doing massive work in the other provinces (new interchanges, doubling up freeways, etc), while province does bugger all and their roads are turning back to gravel.

I don't understand, why the situation is the exact, 100% opposite in the Western Cape where the province is doing this work and SANRAL is doing nothing? Political crap playing out perhaps?

Hennie

April 24th, 2013, 04:02 PM

^^ and the weird thing is, SANRAL's network is pretty good in the other provinces

True, except for roads they earmark for future tolling. Those road they 'let go'. Examples:
1. The worst section of the N12 is the section between Jhb and Potchefstroom, never improved in the last 30 years and poorly maintained.
2. The worst section of the N1 is between Kroonstad and Ventersburg, it has many pot-holes now.
3. The N14 in Gauteng (Krugersdorp freeway) - full of pot-holes.

All three these roads are destined to become toll roads.

annman

April 24th, 2013, 04:21 PM

True, except for roads they earmark for future tolling. Those road they 'let go'. Examples:
1. The worst section of the N12 is the section between Jhb and Potchefstroom, never improved in the last 30 years and poorly maintained.
2. The worst section of the N1 is between Kroonstad and Ventersburg, it has many pot-holes now.
3. The N14 in Gauteng (Krugersdorp freeway) - full of pot-holes.

All three these roads are destined to become toll roads.

They do that on purpose. They use it firstly, as leverage to claim the road must be tolled to be maintained and secondly, to not spend money on roads they know, they may be able to milk users to pay for in the near-future.

I don't understand, why the situation is the exact, 100% opposite in the Western Cape where the province is doing this work and SANRAL is doing nothing? Political crap playing out perhaps?

Interesting to note, the Western Cape is the only province where sections of the "N" network is not SANRAL managed, like the N9, N12 and N1/N2/N7 in the Cape Metro. KZN also has a high-percentage of provincially-managed roads. We know why the Western Cape maintains their roads so well...

For reference, here is the SANRAL maintained and managed road network:

http://www.nra.co.za/content/9596SanralRoads.jpg

The map shows where the money is going. Tolls in KZN and Gauteng are most certainly not subsidising the Western Cape network. The map shows most of SANRAL's cash for non-tolled network is probably going towards Mpumalanga, Limpopo and the Eastern Cape.

grantl

May 14th, 2013, 03:51 PM

It seems the N2 / M41 upgrade is going ahead

Pretoria - The improvement of the N2/M41 Mount Edgecombe interchange, north of Durban, into a four-level free-flow configuration will ease traffic congestion in the area, says the South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL).

SANRAL Head of Communications, Vusi Mona, said construction on the upgrade is set to commence shortly and will cost R816 million to complete.

“The work is jointly funded by SANRAL and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport, and will be undertaken by CMC di Ravenna, with the monitoring of the works performed by SMEC South Africa,” he said.

Mona called on road users to practice caution when using this stretch of road while the upgrade is underway.

“During construction, the traffic will be accommodated on temporary widened sections, but major disruption can unfortunately not be prevented due to limited space, tighter corners and reduced lane widths -- all negatively affecting traffic flow.

“Motorists are therefore advised to take note of the construction work in the planning of their trips and to be observant of the advance warning signs and lane closures when travelling through the construction work zones,” he said.

It is estimated that the upgrade of the interchange will take three years

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj50/grantlar/N2M41.jpg

http://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/more-lanes-n2m41-mount-edgecombe-interchange-ease-traffic

Dynamoe

May 14th, 2013, 04:41 PM

My god! The drive on the N2 is going to amazing. All those 4 level interchanges!

grantl

May 14th, 2013, 04:44 PM

More like its going to be amazingly slow while they build these interchanges - The Umhlanga one should really only be done when Umgeni is finished. This is going to be chaos at the best of times

Dynamoe

May 14th, 2013, 04:51 PM

The Umhlanga one? Is that the one you are referring to above?

dysan1

May 14th, 2013, 06:18 PM

Well they do not directly link... The umgeni will be complete before the major disruptive work starts at umhlanga.

Overall highly positive. This is a much needed intervention especially with the continued growth of umhlanga and is a condition for allowing the cornubia development to proceed.

romanSA

May 15th, 2013, 12:55 AM

Sweet!! This will make Durban the only city in SA and Africa to have not just one, but two, 4-level interchanges! The only other 4 level interchange in the Southern Hemisphere (to my knowledge) is Sydney's M4/M7 (Light Horse Interchange). Good times for Durbs! But yes, driving to the airport while this is being constructed is going to be bad!

dysan1

May 15th, 2013, 09:37 AM

Durban roads are a busy construction zone. Widening of the N2. The nee cornubia interchange on m41. This m41/n2 interchange. The n2/kwamashu highway upgrade. The expansion of nandi drive and bridge over river there at river horse valley. The umgeni interchange mutli level and the spagetti junction expansion. So basically work on every single interchange for a 20km stretch... Not all exactly at once but close enough...

romanSA

May 15th, 2013, 09:39 AM

Things will get even crazier when new roads (incl a new link road from the N2 to the N3) is made for the digout harbour...

ToxicBunny

May 15th, 2013, 09:39 AM

The main N2 freeway is an abortion atm, and will be for a few years to come.

I've actually started avoiding the N2 going to and from work now if there is even a hint of a traffic issue, and when they start on the n2/m41 interchange I will just stay away completely.

Ron2K

May 15th, 2013, 10:31 AM

dysan1

May 15th, 2013, 11:42 AM

ToxicBunny

May 15th, 2013, 11:46 AM

then the m4 will become a nightmare

I'm trying to be an optimist about it and not think about how bad it will be :(...

Then again, I'm also trying to move away from working in Umhlanga.

romanSA

May 16th, 2013, 08:25 AM

The toll saga continues...

-----------------

New twist in Wild Coast toll saga

May 15 2013 at 12:10pm
By Tony Carnie

Durban - After 13 years of controversy, the N2 Wild Coast toll-road saga has taken another surprise turn – with reports that no new toll plazas will be built in Durban or anywhere else in KwaZulu-Natal, in order to finance the proposed R4 billion project.

Provincial Transport MEC Willies Mchunu announced on Tuesday that Sanral had agreed to scrap the proposed toll gate at Isipingo, south of Durban, and that no toll gates would be built anywhere else on the South Coast to pay for a new highway along the scenic Wild Coast region of the Eastern Cape.

Quoting Mxolisi Kaunda, the KZN provincial transport portfolio committee chairman, Mchunu said this decision had been taken in Cape Town recently at a strategy meeting of transport ministers and the national roads agency, Sanral.

But Sanral spokesman Vusi Mona said that no such undertaking had been given and that a final decision on how to fund the proposed highway/toll road would have to be taken by the presidential infrastructure co-ordinating commission.

Mona said the agency was ready to go ahead with construction on the Eastern Cape side of the border, but was still trying to “reach common ground” with the KZN provincial government.

“We have not given any assurance that there won’t be any tolling on the KZN side,” he said.

Asked what proposals had been made to the commission by Sanral, Mona said he did not wish to “pre-empt decisions by the commission”.

National Transport Ministry spokesman Tiyani Rikhotso declined to be drawn on the Wild Coast highway funding issue when approached for clarity last night.

Rikhotso said there was already a R150bn shortfall for road infrastructure projects nationwide, but he was not aware of any decision to scrap tollgates along the KZN section.

“The big question we have to ask ourselves is how we fund much-needed development – be it roads, electricity, communications or any other big infrastructure projects. There needs to be a sustainable solution… and I am sure that this is at the top of the minds of the leadership,” said Rikhotso.

Nevertheless, the roads agency has been working quietly behind the scenes for the past few years to overcome a series of obstacles hindering its vision of building a new highway through the Pondoland Wild Coast.

Over the past few months, Sanral has also met traditional leaders and other decision-makers in the Pondoland region to defuse opposition to the project.

Earlier this week, Sanral said there had been a “groundbreaking decision” over the past few days after “the Pondo people and their traditional leaders” agreed to support the Wild Coast highway project.

“Now that we have buy-in from the community, thanks to the vision of Rural Development Minister Gugile Nkwinti and the Pondo kings and chiefs, we can move forward with this project, which will add to our already world-class national road network,” Mona said.

On Tuesday he backtracked, saying that there were still a number of court cases pending and Sanral would have to wait for the outcome of these cases before making further announcements.

Mona’s statement also appeared to come as a surprise to KZN Premier Zweli Mkhize, who told The Mercury that he would ask for clarity from Sanral, the Eastern Cape government and the National Department of Transport about the latest developments with the Wild Coast project. His spokesman, Ndabe Sibiya, said the provincial government remained opposed to the Wild Coast road if Sanral depended on subsidising the route by charging tolls in KZN.

The financial feasibility of the original Sanral proposal, first mooted in 2000, appears to depend largely on KZN motorists picking up the lion’s share of the massive construction costs.

Although the proposed Durban-to-East London toll route is 580km long, only 80km of it involves new road construction. The remainder of the route is an existing national road.

A study by Imani transport consultants in 2009 suggested that 31 percent of the total toll revenue would be plucked from the pockets of the 55 000 vehicle drivers who used the Isipingo section of N2 route daily.

The South Durban business coalition (which included Toyota SA, Illovo Sugar, Umbogintwini Industrial Association and the Southgate Industrial Park) estimated at the time that a tollgate at Isipingo would reduce their turnover by about 2 percent by pushing up the cost of doing business by as much as R81 million a year.

Although Sanral has steadfastly refused to debate toll-fee levels as part of the environmental impact assessment process, Sanral officials indicated in 2007 that toll fees along the Durban-East London route could be set somewhere between R320 and R120.

In the Eastern Cape, at least five local communities also mounted high court action against the project, arguing that they had not been consulted properly about the social and economic impact.

This high court case, along with a separate case by several companies in South Durban, is still pending – although the Department of Environmental Affairs approved the project in 2010 and subsequently dismissed appeals by more than 50 groups and individual objectors.

tony.carnie@inl.co.za

The Mercury

http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/kwazulu-natal/new-twist-in-wild-coast-toll-saga-1.1516242#.UZR35Mre9cA