Part of Gauteng N1 'a safety risk'

Johannesburg 170210 Road works on the N1 Western Bypass caurses traffic in-between 7am and 9am. picture : neil baynes 1

Johannesburg 170210 Road works on the N1 Western Bypass caurses traffic in-between 7am and 9am. picture : neil baynes 1

Published Aug 29, 2012

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A 14km stretch of the N1 highway between Pretoria and Johannesburg has deteriorated and is a safety risk, says Gauteng transport MEC Ismail Vadi.

“Before the rehabilitation process, there were signs of considerable deterioration on the road,” Vadi said on Monday.

“The highway had reached the end of its optimal functionality and posed a safety risk to motorists. The aim is to restore the riding quality and safety of the road for the very large number of road users.”

The part of the road that needed fixing was the 14km from Potgieter Street in Pretoria.

Vadi was inspecting the R114 million upgrade to the N1 highway.

The Pretoria-Johannesburg route was a high traffic volume route with more than 40 000 vehicles using the road in each direction at peak hour.

The upgrade was being carried out on behalf of the Gauteng department of roads and transport by the SA National Roads Agency Limited. It was expected to be completed by December.

Vadi said he was satisfied that the project was ahead of schedule.

This was despite a shortage of bitumen - a component of tar - and emergency work that needed to be done because of a sinkhole that appeared along the route in June.

Vadi said the present four-lane carriageway on this stretch was being extended to six lanes as part of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project.

This portion of the highway would not be subjected to proposed toll fees, he said. - Sapa

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