Toll fee payment set to resume

MOTORISTS travelling on the N2 will, as of this coming weekend, resume paying toll fees at the oThongathi Mainline and uMvoti toll plazas.

This follows an announcement by the South African National Agency (Sanral) that toll fee collection would be reinstated at these facilities from 1 April.

Payment of toll fees was suspended last year, shortly after the floods which destroyed homes and caused major damage to road infrastructure.

The relief was to assist communities affected by the closure of alternative roads that were damaged by the floods while reconstruction was being undertaken.

“Access to the R102 has been fully restored, while the M4 is open, except near the Tongaat River Bridge,” said Sanral Eastern Region manager Dumisani Nkabinde.

“The contribution made to the people of KZN by Sanral not charging for these two tolls is between R400- and R500-million to date.

“We need to start collecting these toll fees to be able to maintain national roads.”

The decision comes after a meeting earlier this month between Sanral, led by chairman of the board Themba Mhambi, Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs MEC Siboniso Duma, as well as local government leaders, business chambers, Santaco and members of traditional councils.

“Sanral is committed to KZN, and we are happy that we had fruitful and constructive discussions with the political leadership of the province and various provincial stakeholders.

“We would like to resume with the toll collection on uMvoti and oThongathi on 1 April. We have embarked on all the relevant processes and procedures to make this possible,” said Sanral CEO Reginald Demana.

The tolls on the N2 oThongathi north ramps will, however, remain suspended ‘until such time that access along the M4 Tongaat River Bridge has been fully restored’.

This will allow local communities affected by the M4 closure at the Tongaat River Bridge to continue using the N2 toll road at no cost.