New completion date for N1 Musina ring road

Date: 21 January 2018 By: Andries van Zyl

Motorists travelling through Musina will have to wait a little longer to enjoy using the N1 ring road currently under construction around this busy border town.

Mr Vusi Mona, general manager of SANRAL communications, responded to a media enquiry from the Zoutpansberger this week when asked for a progress report regarding not only the Musina N1 ring road, but also the N1 Polokwane ring road currently under construction.

“The project consists of 8km of new single-carriageway roadway with one lane in each direction and paved shoulders. It is being constructed on the western side of the Musina CBD. The road will function as a freeway with controlled access to and from the N1. Therefore, access to the town will be provided through two interchanges, one at the southern entrance to town and one at the northern entrance. They will be called the Musina and Nancefield interchanges respectively. Two cross accesses will also be provided for Harper Road and Freedom Street,” said Mona.

The N1 is the main link between South Africa and the rest of Africa and at present passes through Musina some 15km south of the border with Zimbabwe. “Currently, in the order of 1000 heavy vehicles per day use the road and have to pass through the CBD of Musina. It creates major congestion in town as well as conflict with local traffic and pedestrians,” said Mona. Heavy traffic volumes through the town’s CBD also have a severe impact on road infrastructure.

This congestion was what led to the idea of constructing a ring road around Musina. The idea itself dates to 2006 when SANRAL identified the need to provide an alternative route for the traffic moving through the town along the N1 by providing a ring road around the town. The previous provincial authority (old TPA) had even earlier provided for such a ring road by reserving the road reserve. The project further gained momentum when, in October 2007, SANRAL received a resolution from the Musina municipal council in which it supported the ring-road concept. SANRAL then started with the environmental impact assessment, the detail design, as well as land acquisition.

The Musina ring-road project officially started in 2015, although actual construction only started in April 2016, with Basil Read Ltd being appointed the contractor. The contract value was R506 million, excluding inflation adjustment and VAT, with an initial contract duration is 30 months and a completion date of November 2018.

The new anticipated completion date is April 2019, if no further delays occur. “The project is currently behind schedule, but the contractor is implementing measures such as additional resources to catch up. Various factors influenced the progress, amongst them the extremely high temperatures, which influence the concrete production for structures, and delays experienced in service providers that need to relocate services such as electrical power lines and supply of materials,” said Mona.

Currently, the N1 is open to normal traffic with no unnecessary delays or interruptions. Mona added that N1 traffic flow would not be affected by the construction works, except where the northern and southern tie-in points will ultimately tie into the new ring road. “However, in cases where there’s a need to close off the road temporarily, SANRAL ensures that there is significant communication to the general public on what to expect and when. This is done through traffic advisories and public announcements through the local media. We also communicate alternative routes to use when roads are closed. At crossroads such as Harper and Freedom, deviations were constructed to accommodate traffic while construction is on the go,” said Mona.

As for the N1 ring road around Polokwane, Mono said that this would also serve as a bypass to ease congestion in the city centre by taking traffic around the city. R640 million, including VAT, was allocated for the project, with a contract period of 36 months. The anticipated completion date is December 2018. The project commenced in December 2015 with the appointment of the contractor, Basil Read.

“The scope of the project is to improve the capacity of the eastern ring road by construction of a new interchange at R101/N1, upgrading of at-grade intersections to Par-Clo interchanges at the R37/N1 and Silicon/N1 road intersections, and doubling of the entire route from the R101 in the south to the R71 Tzaneen interchange in the north,” said Mona.

All in all, two bridges will be demolished, and six new bridges built, and the pavement on the existing roads will be strengthened. The storm-water drainage capacity will be improved as well. “The upgrading of the route from a 2-lane (1-lane per direction) single carriageway to a 4-lane (2-lanes per direction) divided dual carriageway will enhance the traffic capacity and the safety of the route for many years to come,” said Mona.

(For a more interactive look at the construction process at both sites, visit www.zoutpansberger.co.za and click on the video links. The video was supplied by SANRAL).

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Andries van Zyl

Andries joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in April 1993 as a darkroom assistant. Within a couple of months he moved over to the production side of the newspaper and eventually doubled as a reporter. In 1995 he left the newspaper group and travelled overseas for a couple of months. In 1996, Andries rejoined the Zoutpansberger as a reporter. In August 2002, he was appointed as News Editor of the Zoutpansberger, a position he holds until today.

More photos... 

The Nancefield interchange will be a feature bridge upon completion as per this artist's impression. Graphic supplied by SANRAL.

The new anticipated completion date for the N1 Musina ring road is April 2019 if no further delays occur. The project was to be completed by November 2018, but is currently behind schedule for a variety of reasons, among them the extremely high temperatures, which influence the concrete production for structures, and delays experienced in service providers that need to relocate services such as electrical power lines and supply of materials. Photo: SANRAL.

The construction of the N1 ring road around Polokwane is still on schedule with an anticipated completion date of December 2018. According to SANRAL, the upgrading of the route from a 2-lane (1-lane per direction) single carriageway to a 4-lane (2-lanes per direction) divided dual carriageway will enhance the traffic capacity and the safety of the route for many years to come. Photo: SANRAL.

All in all, two bridges will be demolished, and six new bridges built as part of the construction of the new N1 ring road around Polokwane. The pavement on the existing roads will be also strengthened, while storm-water drainage capacity will be improved as well. Photo: SANRAL.