N2 (South Africa)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

National route N2 shield
National route N2
M62 in Cape Town
Major intersections
East end
Ermelo
Location
CountrySouth Africa
Provinces
Major cities
Highway system
  • Numbered routes of South Africa
← N1→ N3

The N2 is a

Ermelo.[2] It is the main highway along the Indian Ocean coast of the country. Its current length of 2,255 kilometres (1,401 mi) makes it the longest numbered route in South Africa.[3]

Prior to 1970, the N2 designation only applied to the route from Cape Town to Durban.[4]

There are plans to realign the N2 national route from

Wild Coast Toll Route.[5][6][7]

Route

Major towns and cities along the route of the N2 include

Ermelo
.

Western Cape

Cape Metropole

City Bowl of Cape Town
.

The N2 begins in central

elevated freeway that runs along a strip of land between the city centre and the Port of Cape Town. On the eastern edge of the city centre the two roads split, and the N2 turns south as Nelson Mandela Boulevard (formerly Eastern Boulevard), crossing above the yards and approach tracks of Cape Town railway station
.

Leaving the

M4 Main Road and University Estate, located on the north-western slopes of Devil's Peak. After leaving the Woodstock area, the N2 meets the M3 Phillip Kgosana Drive, from the southern City Bowl. Atop Mowbray Ridge in Observatory, these two roads merge into a massive 10-lane highway and bend around the University of Cape Town Medical Campus and Groote Schuur Hospital before splitting at the bottom of the ridge, with the M3 running toward the University of Cape Town and the Southern Suburbs. This intersection, called Hospital Bend, was the scene of frequent bottlenecks and accidents due to the lack of pre-selection lanes. However, this stretch of road has been extensively upgraded and made safer.[10]

After Hospital Bend, the N2 turns east as Settler's Way and forms the border between

traffic lights, which cause frequent congestion. After Somerset West, it bypasses Strand, Gordon's Bay, and Sir Lowry's Pass Village
.

Overberg

After Sir Lowry's Pass Village, the N2 climbs

Riversdale to re-approach the coast at Mossel Bay, which marks the beginning of the Garden Route
.

Garden Route

Just west of

Wilderness and on to Knysna and Plettenberg Bay. After Plettenberg Bay, a section of the road is tolled as the Tsitsikamma Toll Route, primarily because of the Bloukrans Bridge (crossing the Bloukrans River). An alternative route (part of the R102) used to run through Nature's Valley but this was closed in 2007 after flood damage.[11] The Bloukrans Bridge marks the border with the Eastern Cape
.

N2 Freeway between George and Mossel Bay

Eastern Cape

Sunshine Coast Road

After crossing the Bloukrans Bridge, the N2 becomes the Sunshine Coast Road, passing through the Southern edge of the Tsitsikamma Nature Reserve, and regains freeway status between Nompumelelo and Witsiebos. It runs eastward as a 2-lane single carriageway highway, bypassing the resort towns of Jeffreys Bay and St. Francis Bay, as well as the town of Humansdorp. It becomes a 4-lane dual carriageway freeway at the Van Stadens Bridge, which marks its entrance into the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality.[12] It proceeds eastwards to the city of Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth).

Nelson Mandela Bay

After the

Kariega (formerly Uitenhage) via the R334. It then enters Gqeberha as a 4-lane dual carriageway freeway. It runs eastward past the suburbs of Kabega Park and Tulbargh before making a north-easterly turn just after the R102 Kragga Kamma Road/Cape Road intersection in More Grove. It then bypasses the suburbs of Newton Park and Korsten before meeting the R75 at the Commercial Road Intersection, with the R75 linking to the Gqeberha city centre in the south and to Kariega and Graaff-Reinet
in the north.

It then passes through northern Sidwell, intersecting the M8 Kempston Drive (which links with the New Brighton and KwaZakhele suburbs in the north), and the M4 Settlers Way Highway (which links the N2 with the CBD and

Colchester
.

Colchester - Qonce

After Colchester, the N2 leaves the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality and turns north-eastwards, meeting the southern terminus of the

Grahamstown
.

After passing around Grahamstown (also known as Makhanda) on a bypass, the N2 passes through the former

Peddie, to enter the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality
.

Buffalo City (Qonce- East London)

At

East London
.

The N2 becomes a 4-lane dual carriageway road after leaving

Wild Coast Toll Road (which is to run for 410 km (250 mi) towards Port Edward[13]). It then continues as a freeway until shortly after the R102 Brakfontein intersection, after which it leaves the Buffalo City Metro
.

Former Transkei

After East London, the N2 turns again towards the interior in a northeasterly direction to avoid the difficult terrain of the

Mount Frere (KwaBhaca) and Mount Ayliff. Near Kokstad, the N2 climbs Brook's Nek to enter the province of KwaZulu-Natal.[15]

KwaZulu-Natal

Brooks Nek - Port Shepstone

The N2 enters

Port Edward
.

Port Shepstone - Durban (South Coast Highway)

The N2 then turns to the north at the Oribi Toll Plaza to become the

Pennington, Park Rynie and Scottburgh
lying to the west and east of the N2, respectively.

eThekwini Metropolitan Area (Durban)

The N2 enters the eThekwini Metropolitan Area 60 km (37 mi) south of

Outer Ring Road, bypassing the suburbs of Mobeni, Chatsworth, Sarnia, Ridgeview and Chesterville, with the M1 Higginson Highway intersection and the M7 Solomon Mahlangu Drive interchange providing access to these suburbs as well as the town of Queensburgh
.

After leaving Chesterville, the N2 meets the

Durban Outer Ring Road
ends.

It then runs to the east of

oThongathi (formerly Tongaat) before leaving eThekwini
.

North Coast Highway

The newly upgraded Umgeni Interchange
The newly upgraded Mount Edgecombe Interchange

After eThekwini, the N2 runs toward

Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park to the west (where the R618 provides access) and runs past the town of Mkuze before turning to the north-west and running close to the border of Eswatini, passing the town of Pongola
.

Mpumalanga

After leaving

Ermelo, where it enters as Voortrekker Lane and terminates at a junction with the N11 (De Emigratie Street) in the town centre, just south of the N11's intersection with the N17
.

The total length of the road is 2,255 kilometres (1,401 mi).[3]

Toll Plazas

Toll plazas on the N2 include:[16]

Tsitsikamma Toll Route

South Coast Toll Route

North Coast Toll Route

Disruption to route

Heavy rains in 2006 triggered a mud-slide on the Kaaiman's pass section of the N2 between

Wilderness
. This caused the road to be temporarily closed from 26 August. As a result of the slide, a section of roadway sagged and large cracks appeared on the road surface. After an inspection by a team of engineers a single lane was reopened on 29 August for vehicles with a gross mass of under 5,000 kilograms (11,000 lb).

An alternative route following the Saasveld road was put into use, but this road only allows for a single lane of traffic and light vehicles. Heavy vehicles have to take an alternative route via the R62 and Langkloof pass effectively lengthening the distance from George to Wilderness from 11 to over 60 km (6.8 to 38 mi).[17] The road has since reopened.

Traffic on the N2 has also been disrupted on numerous occasions because of protests. On 10 September 2007, residents of

Langa. Police responded with rubber bullets, injuring over 30 residents.[18][19] On 4 December 2008, a few thousand residents of eMachambini, between KwaDukuza and Richards Bay in KwaZulu-Natal, blockaded the N2 Freeway in protest against the proposed AmaZulu World Themepark. Police opened fire and injured about 23 residents and arrested about 10.[20]

On 20 October 2012, a section of the N2 was closed after heavy rainfall caused a collapse about 20 km (12 mi) outside

Grahamstown.[21]

N2 Wild Coast Toll Route (N2WCTR)

There are plans to realign the N2 national route from

East London as a toll road.[22][23][24] It was initially scheduled for completion in 2024 and this new N2 route will take over the entire section of the current R61 route from Port Shepstone to Mthatha,[25] with realignment between Port Edward and Lusikisiki (providing a shorter stretch of road between the two towns).[25]

This new route, known as the Wild Coast Toll Route (N2WCTR), will extend from

East London to Mthatha: the Ngobozi Toll Plaza just north of the Great Kei Bridge and the Candu Toll Plaza just north-east of Idutywa.[31] Plans to toll the section between Mthatha and East London have been cancelled and only the greenfields sections will have tollgates.[32]

In this project, there are also plans to widen the N2 from Port St. Johns to

KwaBhaca would then be designated as the R102
.

As of 2021, the road signs on the section of the R61 from Port Shepstone to Port Edward have already been changed to signs indicating the N2, indicating that this road from the Oribi Toll Plaza in Port Shepstone southwards will officially no-longer be designated as the R61.[33] Also, as of 2023, parts of the road in the Eastern Cape are under construction.[34][29][30][35] The Msikaba Bridge is expected to be completed by the end of 2025[36][30] while the Mtentu Bridge, after several delays, is expected to be complete by the end of 2027.[27][28][32]

Board signs indicating the N2 to Port Shepstone and Port Edward

Opposition and criticism

South Africa's national road agency,

Durban Outer Ring Road begins). SANRAL received opposition from the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality council as well as several businesses in the area over the proposed Isipingo Toll Plaza due to concerns over expenses for drivers in South Durban and traffic in the same area.[38][26][37] Those businesses also didn't want any toll plazas found within KwaZulu-Natal to be used to finance the construction of the new greenfields section of road (between Lusikisiki and the C. H. Mitchell Bridge), which is in a different province (Eastern Cape).[39] Several companies in the area, led by Toyota South Africa, took SANRAL to court, and the proposed Isipingo tollgate was cancelled.[40]

The Amadiba Crisis Committee (ACC) has also expressed issues with the planned road and the Wild Coast region in which the road is to pass through, stating that it would divide the communal farming and grazing lands.[39] They advised SANRAL to reroute the proposed road inland, away from the coastline.[39]

See also

  • National Roads in South Africa
  • The N2 Gateway Housing Project along the N2 freeway in Cape Town

References

  1. ^ N2/Settlers Freeway (“Hospital Bend”) Archived 2010-03-01 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Falkner, John (May 2012). South African Numbered Route Description and Destination Analysis (Report). National Department of Transport. pp. 7–12. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  3. ^ a b "South Africa's Longest Roads". KH Plant. 16 January 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  4. ^ "Department of Transport (map)" (jpg). 30 June 1959. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  5. ^ a b "@nuxtjs/Amp".
  6. ^ a b "Wild Coast toll road on track". DispatchLIVE. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  7. ^ a b "N2 road project to continue". DispatchLIVE. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  8. ^ a b c Etheridge, Jenna. "Court turns down N2 Wild Coast Road appeal". News24. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  9. ^ a b SANRALauthor (30 March 2022). "Progress on the N2 Wild Coast Road". SANRAL Stop Over. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  10. ^ "N2/Settlers Freeway ("Hospital Bend")". 1 March 2010. Archived from the original on 1 March 2010. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  11. ^ Rautenbach, Anje. "#4x4Adventure: What happened to the Bloukrans Pass? | News24". News24. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  12. ^ Africa, Statistics South. "Local Municipality | Statistics South Africa". Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  13. ^ "social impact assessment of the proposed n2 wild coast toll highway". studylib.net. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  14. ^ sizwesethu.futshane (2 June 2022). "SANRAL shares road construction plans with Mthatha, surrounding rural communities". SANRAL Stop Over. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  15. ^ Roberts, Trygve. "Brook's Nek (N2) - Mountain Passes South Africa". mountainpassessouthafrica.co.za. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  16. ^ "N2 Toll Fees". www.foresightpublications.co.za. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  17. ^ news24.com story
  18. ^ "Cape Town: Police wade in on Joe Slovo shackdwellers blockade". labournet.
  19. ^ "N2 Gateway and the Joe Slovo informal settlement: the new Crossroads?". Abahlali.
  20. ^ "Cops break up protest over KZN development". Mail & Guardian. 5 December 2008.
  21. ^ "Section of N2 collapses in Eastern Cape | All ZA News". www.allzanews.com. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  22. ^ "@nuxtjs/Amp".
  23. ^ a b "Wild Coast toll road on track". DispatchLIVE. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  24. ^ a b "N2 road project to continue". DispatchLIVE. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  25. ^ a b "Wild Coast Road project takes in highest bridge in Africa". The South African. 5 September 2020. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  26. ^ a b c d e f "social impact assessment of the proposed n2 wild coast toll highway". studylib.net. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  27. ^ a b Venter, Irma. "Much pricier Mtentu Bridge construction restarts five years after Aveng walkout". Engineering News. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  28. ^ a b Leshoro, Dimakatso. "R4.05 billion Mtentu Bridge construction to finally get underway". City Press. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  29. ^ a b Venter, Irma. "Msikaba bridge heads for completion by end-2024". Engineering News. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  30. ^ a b c "SANRAL sets 2025 as deadline for Msikaba Bridge completion". SABC News. 29 April 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  31. ^ "Briefing Memorandum: Wild Coast Toll Road- South Africa" (PDF).
  32. ^ a b "Engineering News - N2 Wild Coast Toll Road megabridge projects, South Africa – update". Engineering News. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  33. ^ "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  34. ^ Langa, Lungi (13 September 2021). "OUR BURNING PLANET: Sparks fly at meeting with rural community over proposed N2 Wild Coast toll road". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  35. ^ "SANRAL surpasses goals on construction". News24. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  36. ^ Channel, National Geographic. "Building Impossible with Daniel Ashville Microsite". www.natgeotv.com. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  37. ^ a b c "Toll road opposed by Mkhize | Wild Coast". www.wildcoast.co.za. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  38. ^ a b "Heavyweight team continues proposed N2 toll fight". South Coast Sun. 25 June 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  39. ^ a b c Carnie, Tony (26 June 2023). "Sanral's need for speed rides roughshod over Xolobeni/Amadiba community's land". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  40. ^ "Wild Coast toll road goes ahead Wild Coast toll road gets the nod amid some opposition". News24. Retrieved 3 December 2021.

External links

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