Cape Town - One of Cape Town’s busiest national roads, the N1 highway, was shut down for several hours on Friday afternoon, slowing down tens of thousands of commuters at the start of the school holidays, and causing major congestion.
The cause of the mayhem was a crash involving a truck and a minibus on the N1 near Plattekloof during peak hour.
Provincial traffic chief Kenny Africa said the incident, which caused only minor injuries, had also resulted in a diesel spill. “The road is closed, the truck is blocking the lanes, and there is a lot of diesel spillage. It will take a while to clear,” he said.
Because the truck was blocking lanes into the city centre, Africa said motorists could not get onto the N1 from the CBD. This added to problems.
Rubbernecking at the crash scene also caused congestion.
A crash a year ago, which caused massive gridlock, was estimated to have cost commuters as much as R36-million. A 12-ton barge fell off a truck when it hit a bridge and crushed a bakkie on Table Bay Boulevard, and the N1 was shut for four hours.
That crash came with a bill for the city and the trucking company of around R100 000 for damage to the bridge and vehicles.
Weekend Argus