South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) has announced that major construction and upgrading of the N3 from Murray Road (Gladys Manzi Road) to the New England Road Interchange in Pietermaritzburg has begun.
The parastatal warned motorists that they will experience traffic disruptions in that section of the highway.
“Construction on Gladys Manzi Road to New England Road Interchange will upgrade the existing cross-section of the N3 from two northbound and three southbound lanes to four northbound and five southbound lanes per carriageway,” it said.
According to Sanral, it embarked on a three-month mobilisation period which included community engagements and procurement planning for targeted enterprises that were concluded on September 19.
Hugh Brooks, Sanral’s Eastern Region project manager, said the impact of the construction on traffic would be significant.
“We will endeavour to always keep a four-lane single carriageway shared by both the northbound and south-bound traffic within the project limits.
“A two-lane traffic flow in each direction will be maintained on the N3, with minimal disruption to the traffic once traffic control measures are in place.”
Brooks said traffic accommodation would commence immediately and continue for the duration of the project.
“Traffic will be accommodated safely on alternative routes when major incidents occur within the construction zone,” he said.
He appealed to road users to comply with the advance warning signs and speed restrictions when travelling past the construction work zones.
“To prioritise the safety of both construction workers and road users, the speed limit along the route will be reduced to 40km/h for heavy vehicles and 60km/h for light motor vehicles during construction,” he said.
“Motorists are encouraged to plan their trips accordingly and to make provision for the additional travel time,” Brooks said.
The project needed to be broken into three phases in order to construct the two new carriageways with the least impact on travelling, Sanral added.
“Sanral would like to apologise to all motorists and road users for the inconvenience caused due to the necessary upgrades and realignment. Safety and security for all road users is the ultimate priority of the agency and we will ensure that we keep the disruptions at a manageable level,” Brooks said.
It’s expected the R1.91billion project will take 44 months to complete.
The Mercury