South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (Sanral) has announced that part of the N3 will be fully closed on September 3 and September 5, 2024, to facilitate blasting next to the N3 at the Ashburton Interchange as part of the N3 Ashburton to Market Road upgrade project.
The N3 closure will take place between the Ashburton and Market Road Interchanges. Closures will also be necessary on the Pope Ellis Drive from R103 intersection to Ashburton Interchange in the vicinity of the blasting activities.
“Our traffic accommodation team, with the assistance of the Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI), will monitor the diversion of traffic during the closure,” said Jason Lowe, Sanral’s Eastern Region project manager.
Lowe said the R103 route will be available as an alternative route during the blast. Substantial delays are, however, likely as the R103 is unable to handle the same volume of traffic as the N3, he said.
Lowe said that the closure may need to be adjusted depending on weather conditions on the day. If that happens, a second notice with information of the new time will be issued, added Lowe.
“We ask motorists to be patient during the closure and to plan and adjust their trips, especially their leaving times, to accommodate the closure while still adhering to speed limits. Sanral apologises to the motoring public for any inconvenience caused and thanks them for their patience during the ongoing road construction,” said Lowe.
The full road closure will take place as follows:
September 3, 2024 (Tuesday):
14h30: Close N3 and secondary road and blast.
14h30 to 14h55: Clean up any debris on all roads.
14h55 to 15h00: Final Road Safety Inspection
15h00: Re-open N3 and secondary road for all vehicles.
5 September 2024 (Thursday):
14h30: Close N3 and secondary road and blast.
14h30 to 14h55: Clean up any debris on all roads.
14h55 to 15h00: Final Road Safety Inspection
15h00: Re-open N3 secondary road for all vehicles.
The Mercury