Long-suffering motorists will be relieved to know that a main ramp on the new Umgeni Road interchange on the N2 is now open as of Thursday.
The opening of one of two lanes of Ramp A1 will enable traffic from the N2 North to branch off eastwards towards the Durban CBD.
The development is a major milestone for national roads agency Sanral, which said the outstanding characteristics of the R512 million interchange were the simultaneous construction of two incrementally launched bridges and the casting yard for one of the bridges which was elevated at a height of 20m.
In recognition of this “excellence in civil engineering”, the Concrete Society of Southern Africa this week chose the Umgeni Road interchange as the winner of the prestigious Fulton Award in the category for civil engineering structures over R100m in value, it said it a statement.
The agency had announced the opening of the southbound and northbound ramps leading onto the N2 at the same interchange last week.
The bridge leading off the service road onto the N2 southbound carriageway was opened on March 23.
“While the Umgeni interchange has had its fair share of challenges, this has not compromised our objectives to achieve quality work and produce world-class civil engineering structures,” said Logashri Sewnarain, Sanral’s Eastern Region manager.
“We hope that the generations to come will enjoy the long-term benefits of this remarkable interchange and we are proud of the legacy we are leaving behind in the form of a truly iconic structure.”
The interchange is scheduled for completion next month to accommodate traffic from all directions but Sanral said this would largely depend on the contractor’s progress on the site.
Motorists are urged to be cautious during the final stages of construction.