The South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (Sanral) has announced that there will be road closures on the N3 from July 12-14 due to blasting construction work.
Sanral said in a statement that the temporary road closures would be implemented in both directions between the Umlaas Road Interchange and the Cato Ridge Interchange.
This comes after the roads agency commenced construction work for the upgrade of the N3 Section 2, from the Cato Ridge Interchange (km 20.2) to the northern end of the Dardanelles Cutting (km 26.6) on April 14. Sanral appointed Nyeleti Consulting as the consulting engineer to supervise the works and Raubex Construction as the main contractor.
“This 48-month construction project will see the upgrade of the existing 6.4-kilometre four-lane dual carriageway widened to an eight-lane dual carriageway with outer shoulders and a median in between. A road-over rail bridge will be extended to accommodate the widening of the road. The upgrade will include lighting along the 6.4kms and the installation of culverts,” Sanral said.
The R103 provincial road, which runs next to the N3, will also be upgraded. A new section of the R103 will be constructed alongside the N3 on the southern side between the Camperdown Interchange and the existing R103 overpass just south of the Camperdown Interchange.
“Rock outcrops encountered in the vicinity of km 22.3 near the Camperdown Overpass Bridge need to be removed through blasting to allow for the construction of the stormwater system and the pavement layers. Rolling closures will be implemented on the N3 national roads in both directions between Umlaas Road Interchange and Cato Ridge Interchange to minimise the delay of the traffic on the N3 national road during blasting,” Sanral said.
Temporary road closures in the vicinity of the Overpass Bridge will be implemented on the R103 and the on-ramps at Cato Ridge Interchange, and Camperdown Interchange will be temporarily closed during the blast.
Sanral said the road closures should not delay traffic on the route for more than ten minutes.
“The blasting will be carried out on Tuesday, July 12, at 11h00, and on Thursday, July 14, at 11h00 should a second blast be required. All closures shall immediately be removed as soon as the site of blasting has been declared safe,” Sanral said.
The speed limit along the route has been reduced to 80km/hr to improve safety for the construction team and road users. Lane closures, to permit construction vehicles to safely enter and exit the work zone, can be expected at night and the public will be informed in advance of such activity.
