Warning given as N3 repairs set to end

THE South African National Roads Agency said the multimillion-rand construction work on the N3 between Sanctuary Interchange and Link Road at Pietermaritzburg could be completed by December.

Tsepo Matekane, the N3 programme manager for Sanral, said the reconstruction on the slow lanes at the Peter Brown Bridge was forging ahead and would be completed later this year.

Apart from resolving chronic traffic congestion by creating better mobility through construction of extra traffic lanes, the upgrade of the N3 would result in increased safety, he said: “Dangerous curves will be ironed out. Unsafe intersections will be redesigned.”

Speaking about recent accidents that have taken place in the vicinity of Peter Brown/Townhill, Matekane said it had employed safety measures that went far beyond just legal or contractual compliance.

He said there was an advanced high-visibility warning, and speed restriction signage that required heavy vehicles to travel at no more than 40kp/h within the construction zone.

“It is also mandatory for all heavy vehicles to stop before proceeding down the steep south-bound carriageway,” he said, adding: “It appears that trucks were not abiding by the signage posted.”

Matekane said Sanral had engaged the relevant traffic authorities regarding enforcement, which is now being provided on a 24-hour basis.

“Other measures include installation of temporary lighting at the compulsory stop and on the south-bound carriageway, curve widening at the bottom of south-bound carriageway, a dedicated boom operation at the compulsory stop and traffic cameras.”

Speaking about daily traffic volumes, Matekane said Sanral tried to leave the construction sites drivable to make it easy for the traffic to flow freely and for motorists to get to their destinations with as little disruption as possible.

“There will be no Stop/Go or road closures on the N3 over the festive season.

“The contractor’s programme for the repair between Sanctuary Interchange and Link Road indicates that the work could be completed by the annual shut-down period in December.”

Emergency workers have cautioned drivers to decrease speed and to maintain a safe following distance following a number of crashes in the vicinity.

Shawn Herbst, of Netcare 911, said they had noticed there had been a rapid increase in collisions in the past seven months.

“And it’s not just big trucks that are involved. (It’s) taxis and light motor vehicles,” Herbst said.

“We find that trucks are not stopping at the arrestor bed before the Peter Brown off-ramp to engage lower gears to come down.“

Robert Mckenzie, from KZN Emergency Medical Services, said recently they had been responding to truck crashes in the Peter Brown vicinity in the Midlands area.

“We want to remind motorists to drive carefully, not exceed the speed limit and to increase their following distances,” McKenzie said.