Sanral set for R816-m upgrade in Durban

The South African National
Roads Agency Ltd (Sanral)
has announced its intention to
upgrade the N2/M41 Mount
Edgecombe interchange north
of Durban to a four-level freeflow
configuration.
At an estimated cost of
R816 million, the upgrade
to the interchange will
play a major role in easing
congestion in the area, said
Sanral spokesman Vusi Mona.
With construction set to
start soon and the upgrade
estimated to take at least
three years to complete, Mona
called on road users to practise
caution when using this stretch
of road during the upgrade.
“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,” he said.
According to Mona, further
extensions and upgrades on
the N2 Wildcoast highway
between East London and
Durban will also get under
way soon.
After initial community
resistance to the planned
roadworks, Rural
Development Minister Gugile
Nkwinti stepped in and
agreements have now been
reached, said Mona, which
will allow for construction to
begin.
“We believe that the
planned expansion of the
N2 to Durban will open up
a corridor of investment and
opportunities previously
closed off to members of the
rural communities along this
particular stretch of coastline.”
The N2 Wild Coast toll
road was to stretch from
Gonubie near East London
through to the Isipingo
interchange south of Durban,
but Sanral has scrapped plans
to toll the KZN part of the
road.