Durban — Construction projects valued at R25 billion are under way on the N2 and N3 in KwaZulu-Natal.
That was according to the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (Sanral), which said there are currently nine packages under construction on the N2 and N3 in the province.
Sanral Eastern Region acting regional manager Dudley Mbambo said: “The N2/N3 programme is well on track since we started in 2021. We currently have nine packages under construction, seven on the N3 between Durban and Pietermaritzburg and two on the N2 which is the KwaMashu to uMdloti and EB Cloete Interchange projects in eThekwini.”
Mbambo said the R1.2bn KwaMashu Interchange to uMdloti project began in August 2021 and is due for completion in the last quarter of 2025.
The M41 pedestrian bridge, to be undertaken as a Community Development and Road Safety project, is a much-needed safety measure on this project and its completion is of utmost importance.
“We need to ensure the safety of all road users is 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.
He said progress has been made on the R5bn EB Cloete Interchange (Spaghetti Junction) project, which started in May last year. Construction is 15% complete as of the end of July this year and the targeted enterprises have earned well over R35 million.
The project aims to increase the capacity of the EB Cloete Interchange and 8.1km of the N2 and N3 in the vicinity back to acceptable service levels through the addition of new lanes on the Interchange ramps and the 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.
He said the total cost, the cost of the steel arch that is pivotal to the functioning of the interchange is approximately 5% of the overall cost to a value of R240m, while the road works and structures costs are about R2.5bn and R1.6bn respectively.
On contracting and job opportunities, Mbambo explained that Exempt Micro Enterprises (EME) and Qualifying Small Enterprises (QSE) subcontractors and suppliers will also benefit through the subcontracting of approximately R1.25bn to Targeted Enterprise subcontractors and suppliers, with up to 121 subcontract packages and 19 supplier packages anticipated to be awarded to Targeted Enterprises.
“Labour is employed from the local community with an approximate R333.6m anticipated to be spent on hourly wages over the five-year contract period. A total of R22.6m is anticipated to be spent on training that would include 160 learnerships, 150 technical skills, 650 generic skills and 16 CIDB method 2/3/4.”
Mbambo said the R4.57bn N3 upgrade project between Key Ridge and Hammarsdale started in May 2023. The Key Ridge to Hammarsdale project upgrade will play a major role in alleviating traffic and bringing about much-needed safety in the area. The steep gradients, excessive super-elevation and curvilinear alignment cause many heavy vehicles to overturn at the bottom of the valley resulting in the closure of the N3 for a lengthy period. This section of the N3 will be realigned to a greenfields portion resulting in a much straighter alignment with a much flatter gradient.
The construction, scheduled to take 51 months, will upgrade the existing roadway to a five-lane divided dual carriageway starting in the south at Key Ridge, near the M13 interchange, at km 2.8 and continuing to just before the Hammarsdale Interchange at km 8.825.
He said the project is divided into three distinct construction phases:
- Phase 1: Widening of the existing northbound carriageway to accommodate five lanes of contraflow traffic (2 lanes northbound and 3 lanes southbound).
- Phase 2: Divert all traffic to the newly widened northbound carriageway. Construction of the new five-lane southbound carriageway as a greenfield project.
- Phase 3: Divert all traffic to the newly constructed southbound carriageway. Construction of the new five-lane northbound carriageway as a greenfield project.
“This project, which comes at a cost of R4.57bn, was necessitated by high crash statistics as well as poor condition of the pavement, which is over 40 years. The upgrade will increase safety but also significantly improve the level of service for the next 30 years,” said Mbambo.
He added that in line with Sanral’s transformation objectives, at least R1.1bn will be subcontracted to small, medium and micro enterprises while just over R392m will be spent on local labour.
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