Traffic on the N2 between the KwaMashu interchange and Umdloti bridge will be disrupted over the next two months to bring in and place concrete barriers alongside the median to protect workers building a median barrier wall and additional lanes, the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) says.

“The work being done here is part of the major upgrades on the N2 and N3. On the northbound carriageway, the road widths have already been narrowed, up as far as the on- and off-ramps of the Mount Edgecombe interchange,” says Sanral Eastern Region project manager Trevor Zumani.

Three lanes remain open on the northbound carriageway, but, on the southbound carriageway, the number of lanes has been reduced to two. This is causing severe, but unavoidable, congestion during peak traffic, especially heading south.

“From Tuesday, August 2, to Saturday, August 6, daytime work between 09:00 and 15:00 will comprise the offloading and stacking of barriers alongside the median on the northbound carriageway, starting more-or-less from the Umhlanga off-ramp, heading north towards the King Shaka International Airport. This may create some congestion and motorists are warned to allow extra time to get through,” says Zumani.

Night-time work will comprise moving the concrete barriers into their final position on the northbound carriageway, starting from about 1 km north of the KwaMashu interchange.

Simultaneously, work will be carried out on narrowing the lanes on the southbound carriageway, from the Mount Edgecombe interchange bridge as far as the ramps onto the N2. No major disruption is anticipated.

From Sunday, August 7, to Thursday, August 11, work will continue during the night on the southbound carriageway placing the barriers in their final positions on the northbound carriageway, while carrying out the re-marking of the lines on the southbound carriageway. No serious disruption is anticipated.

“From Monday, August 8, to Saturday, August 13, daytime work will comprise the offloading and stacking of barriers on the northbound carriageway to beyond the King Shaka International Airport off-ramp. There may be some congestion and we ask road users to allow for more time for their travels,” says Zumani.

From Monday, August 15, until Saturday, August 20, offloading and stacking of barriers on the northbound carriageway will continue during the day, north of the King Shaka International Airport off-ramp. Night-time work will comprise the re-marking of the lanes on the southbound carriageway between the Umdloti and Mount Edgecombe interchanges.

“Key constraints include that, during construction of the northbound carriageway from KwaMashu to Mount Edgecombe, a minimum of three lanes will be open at all times, but the widths of the lanes and shoulders will be noticeably reduced.

“Work on the remainder of the upgrade will have a minimum of two lanes open at all times. Where severe disruptions are inevitable, this will be carried out at night wherever possible,” he says.

Further, there are a number of alternate routes to be considered, including the M4 coastal route between Ballito and Durban, although this has been severely damaged in places by the recent storms, the Old North Coast road, and the recently constructed Dumisani Makhaye highway.

Only night-time work will be carried out from Monday, August 25, to Wednesday, August 27, and only during off-peak hours on the southbound carriageway to the north of the Mount Edgecombe interchange.

“Sanral would like to apologise to the motoring public for any inconvenience caused during the road closure. We appeal to road users to plan their trips accordingly, especially when accessing travel hubs such as the airports.

“We further appeal to road users to adhere to the road signs and speed limit when approaching and travelling through the construction site,” says Zumani.