The Durban N3 Toll concession said that their route services teams will be on high alert with law enforcement as traffic increases over the festive season in KwaZulu-Natal.
The Department of Transport said law enforcement will be out in numbers at key areas over the festive season.
Thania Dhoogra, operations manager of N3TC said that all partners of the road incident management system (RIMS) on the N3 Toll Route, including N3TC’s route services teams, will be on high alert for the duration of the festive season.
“Road users should expect increased blue-light visibility and active law enforcement, including satellite traffic checkpoints and roadblocks at key locations along the route.”
Dhoogra added that a number of special operations will be implemented to check the roadworthiness of vehicles, as well as public vehicle and dangerous goods compliance. “Drug and alcohol screening tests, active speed monitoring, vehicle and passenger overloading, licence and vehicle registration checks, and pedestrian safety operations will also be in effect.”
Dhoogra said that emergency medical and advanced life support services will be on standby for emergencies.
“Emergency medical and advanced life support services in the four provinces transected by the N3 Toll Route are ready to respond to any major emergency events.”
Dhoogra added that traffic had started to increase from the weekend.
“The weekends of the 15th and 22nd of December are expected to be particularly busy in both south and northbound directions. High volumes in both south and northbound directions may also be expected on December 31.
“Northbound traffic volumes are expected to rise from Monday, of January 1, 2024, and again over the weekend of January 5 and 7.”
Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga said that the department will heighten its operations over the festive season.
“We are all over the roads and based the placement of the law enforcement on analysis of five-year patterns of travel during festive season. The analysis that we have done has forecasted hot spots for accidents and we are aware of the roads that have high accidents.”
Chikunga said there would be a clamp down on drunk driving.
“This happens particularly over the long weekends and results in accidents on both national roads and residential roads. We will be out in our numbers to stop this and we will also ensure that road users’ vehicles are roadworthy and are complying with the speed limits.”
Dumisani Nkabinde, Sanral’s Eastern Regional manager said that the road construction industry will shut down operations on December 14 and resume on January 8 next year.
“Travel on interprovincial and national roads will peak during the December/January holiday period.
The following traffic accommodations should be taken into account when planning holiday travel. The shoulder on the N3 Southbound (Durban-bound) was closed on December 4 for the construction of the temporary on-ramp at Cliffdale Road overpass. The road, which is part of the N3 Key Ridge to Hammarsdale upgrade project, will reopen on approximately March 30, 2024,” Sanral has announced.
Nkabinde added that the traffic lanes on the N3 Northbound (Pietermaritzburg-bound) between the M13 and Hammarsdale interchanges will have long-term reduced lane widths from January 10 to July 29, 2024.
“Following the placing of the concrete barriers, the left-hand shoulder on the N3 Southbound will remain closed from the Cliffdale Road overpass for a length of 500m from December 4 to approximately March 30. The Road Traffic Inspectorate and the Municipal Traffic Police, with the assistance of the contractor’s traffic accommodation team, will manage and monitor traffic during the shoulder closure.”
The Mercury