DURBAN – The Mount Edgecombe N2/M41 Interchange at uMhlanga is due to be completed by mid-October.
The new interchange which was started in April 2013 features a multi-stack bridge and four levels with no signalisation.
This interchange is designed to provide continuous access to the Verulam, Phoenix, Mount Edgecombe, uMhlanga Ridge Town Centre and the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast.
Corné Roux, the Eastern Region project manager for SANRAL said that the biggest challenge was accommodating the traffic during construction.
“The interchange sits on a major national road, the N2, and the M41 feeds major residential, industrial and commercial areas such as Phoenix, Mt Edgecombe and uMhlanga carrying high volumes of traffic which had to be kept moving during the interchange’s construction," said Roux.
He added that another challenge was the ground conditions that needed the installation of extensive piling to support the interchange structures.
Despite the lengthy construction period and disruptions on this busy stretch of road, motorists are now feeling the benefits of the interchange which has dramatically improved traffic flow through the area.
The new roads have state-of-the-art lighting making the intersection safer and more visible at night while the pedestrian bridge also makes it safer and more convenient for people to cross the N2.
According to Roux, the Mount Edgecombe Interchange is now a landmark structure and an important artery of the greater eThekwini metropolitan highway system for easing traffic, relieving congestion and is also a significant business enabler.
Managing Director of Tongaat Hulett Developments Michael Deighton said, “Not only has the new interchange improved driving conditions in this previously congested area but it will also unlock significant development opportunities planned for the KwaZulu-Natal north coast".