Here’s what is being done to alleviate the congestion along the N3
· Citizen
Congestion along the N3 is slowly being addressed as government works through a host of infrastructure upgrades.
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The situation on the critical economic route was highlighted on Friday, after a truck blockade caused a kilometres-long backlog near Harrismith.
Commercial trucks have been blamed for the increase in congestion, with the Department of Transport (DoT) stating it was in the process of increasing freight rail capacity.
The N3 Toll Concession reported that over the Easter weekend, the Marianhill and Mooi River plazas averaged between 1 400 and 1 800 vehicles per hour.
These factors have led to a deterioration of the route, creating safety risks for the motorists along the link between Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
30-year N3 plan
The DoT confirmed that the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) would be responsible for the upgrades along the N3.
The department listed at least seven projects, with many set for the future or approaching the tender advertisement phase.
As well as the listed projects, Sanral have a longer-term strategy that will be implemented over a 20 to 30 years, starting from 2029.
“The upgrading of the N3 has taken into account the future traffic growth in terms of both passenger and freight vehicles over a 30-year period based on historical trends, as well as increased road freight vehicles from Durban port expansion plans.
“In addition to the ongoing and planned construction projects to increase capacity and improve safety, there are ongoing routine maintenance and preventative maintenance projects to ensure the N3 is maintained in an acceptable and safe condition.”
Road capacity and lighting
DoT elaborated on the N3 upgrade in a recent response to a written parliamentary question submitted earlier this month.
A major upgrade for the Marianhill plaza is on the cards, with tenders for a redesign, additional lanes and improved lighting between Paradise Valley and Cato Ridge going to tender in the first quarter of the 2026-27 financial year.
Between Durban and Paradise Valley, two road capacity and lighting upgrades are currently under construction.
At the other end of the journey, an upgrade between Heidelberg and Johannesburg was completed in 2010, but “periodic maintenance actions are currently scheduled to occur over the next 3 years”.
Two projects to widen the route and increase lighting between Ashburton and Pietermaritzburg are underway, with a third in the design phase.
Between Pietermaritzburg and Cedara, a contract to install lighting to improve night visibility is close to completion.
“Another major project for realignment of the N3 around Townhill, notorious for heavy vehicle incidents, is currently in the early stages of design development,” DoT concluded.