The South African National Roads Agency’s (Sanral) work on construction projects valued at R25 billion along the N2 and N3 in KwaZulu-Natal is on schedule, the agency announced on Monday.
Sanral Eastern Region Acting Regional Manager, Dudley Mbambo, said the agency’s N2/N3 programme, which commenced in 2021, was well on track.
“We currently have got nine packages under construction, seven on the N3 between Durban and Pietermaritzburg and two on the N2, which is the Kwa-Mashu to Umdloti and EB Cloete Interchange projects in eThekwini,” said Mbambo.
The R1.2 billion KwaMashu Interchange to Umdloti project started in August 2021 and is due for completion in the last quarter of 2025. This includes the construction of the M41 pedestrian bridge, which will be undertaken as a community development and road safety project.
“We need to ensure that the safety of all road users are prioritised, including pedestrians. There are households next to the M41 highway and people crossing to go to work in various places. These people must be provided with a pedestrian bridge that will make it safe to cross the highway,” said Mbambo.
Sanral said major strides had been made on the R5 billion EB Cloete Interchange (Spaghetti Junction) project, which started in May 2023. Construction was 15% complete at the end of July 2024.
This project aims to increase the capacity of the EB Cloete Interchange and 8.1km of the N2 and N3 in the vicinity to acceptable service levels through the addition of new lanes on the interchange ramps and carriageways of the N2 and N3.
“There are currently 20 lanes in the interchange and the upgrades will increase that capacity to 32 lanes in all directions. The upgraded interchange and adjacent N2 and N3 will provide additional lanes that will reduce traffic congestion and delays to the travelling public upon completion,” said Mbambo.
Sanral said the R240million cost of the new steel arch, which is pivotal to the functioning of the interchange, comprises approximately 5% of the overall cost of the project, while the road works and structures costs are approximately R2.5billion and R1.6billion respectively.
Exempt Micro Enterprises and Qualifying Small Enterprises subcontractors and suppliers will benefit from the project through R1.25 billion in subcontracts.
“Labour is employed from the local community with an approximate R333.6 million anticipated to be spent on hourly wages over the five-year contract period. A total of R22.6 million is anticipated to be spent on training,” said Mbambo.
The R4.57 billion N3 upgrade project between Key Ridge and Hammarsdale started in May 2023 and will play a major role in alleviating traffic and improving road safety in the area.
Sanral said the road’s steep gradient, excessive super-elevation and curvilinear alignment resulted in many heavy vehicles overturning at the bottom of the valley, resulting in closure of the N3 for lengthy periods of time. This section of the N3 will be realigned to a greenfields portion resulting in a much straighter alignment with much flatter gradient.
Construction is scheduled to take 51 months and will include the upgrading of the existing roadway to a five-lane divided dual carriageway starting in the south at Key Ridge, near the M13 interchange and continuing to just before the Hammarsdale Interchange.
“This project, which comes at a cost of R4.57 billion, was necessitated by high crash statistics as well as the poor condition of the pavement, which is over 40 years old. The upgrade will increase safety but also significantly improve the level of service for the next 30 years,” Mbambo said.
Sanral said at least R1.1billion would be subcontracted to small, medium, and micro enterprises, while just over R392 million would be spent on local labour during the construction of the project.
