Considering Alternative Ways to Increase N3 Capacity Across Drakensberg

March 24, 2017

Publication: Infrastructure News

Author: Riante Naidoo

Following the cancellation of the proposed De Beers Pass Route (DBPR) project, The South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) is now looking at alternative options to increase the capacity of the N3 route across the Drakensberg.
Vusi Mona, Sanral spokesperson, said: “We have to plan proactively for the expected growth in road traffic volumes between Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal and to find workable solutions that will provide road users with safe, comfortable and congestion-free journeys.”
The 614km long N3 is the primary road from Johannesburg, through the Free State and the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands to Durban. The toll road is managed by the N3 Toll Concession.
Despite government’s decision to cancel the DBPR project, Sanral has been asked to investigate an alternative option along the existing N3 which will address safety and mobility issues on the route.
“We have started to conduct detailed investigations and the costing of an alternative option and the findings of our study will be presented to the Minister of Transport,” Mona said.
He added that government will then consider all the engineering and financial considerations before taking a decision on how to proceed with the project.
Mona said the existing Van Reenen’s Pass Route, which was built in 1961, is no longer able to effectively handle the growth in traffic volumes.
Sanral said that over the years it has added many safety features to the road but is still concerned about the number of crashes on the road and the inconvenience caused for road users through sporadic road closures.
New developments along the route will have to address current safety issues related to the alignment of the current road through Van Reenen’s Pass. This will include the steep gradients, sharp curves, and bottlenecks that will require extensive engineering solutions.
The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) praised Sanral’s “bold decision to scrap this expensive and unnecessary project”.
The project was estimated to cost around R10bn and aimed to shave 14km off the current N3 route between Gauteng and Durban. Outa’s portfolio director for transport said this “would have dealt a blow to the local economy of Harrismith”.
The N3 is an important road freight corridor and despite efforts to move large volumes of freight to rail, expectations are that at least 60% of movement between Gauteng and Durban will still remain on the road network.
Decisions on funding will be taken once an alternative route has been finalised.
Sanral said it will continue to communicate with all stakeholders, including provincial governments, local councils, communities and road users as decisions are taken and the project unfolds.