N1 upgrade to ease traffic jams is one-third complete

A multi-million rand upgrade on a key stretch of a northern suburbs highway is more than one-third done.

The Department of Transport and Public Works said the R487 million project on 9km of the N1 between Plattekloof and Old Oak roads has hit the 38% mark.

About 120000 vehicles travel the route in the morning inbound and afternoon outbound peaks.

Public Works spokesman Byron la Hoe said adding a third lane in both directions would ease traffic jams on one of the City’s busiest roads.

The work should be done by April 2019.

A freeway management system has been installed and once the first phase of the median widening and barrier installation is finished next month, the widening of the road will start.

* Work on the Jip de Jager Interchange is 89% complete, with asphalt rehabilitation and paving, the construction of two traffic islands, and some other minor works under way.

* The western portion of the Old Oak Bridge was demolished in May to make space for new lanes.

It will be rebuilt over the next 14 months to new specifications.

The inbound on-ramp bypass letting traffic flow onto the N1 inbound is finished and a retaining wall is being built at the temporarily decommissioned inbound on-ramp.

Existing detours remain. Once the Old Oak inbound on-ramp has been widened and realigned, it will be re-commissioned.

* The right hand side of the Plattekloof inbound off-ramp is being widened. The left lane of the outbound on-ramp has been rehabilitated to address deformation and cracking.

Once this work is complete, the entire interchange will be rehabilitated to extend the life of the pavement structure.

* The widening of ramps at Durban Road Interchange has started. The contractor is building layerworks on the Durban Road outbound off-ramp, and is excavating for layerworks on the outbound on-ramp.