ROADS Agency SANRAL has announced the closure of the Peter Brown offramp in Pietermaritzburg until 29 October 2021. It has been done to accommodate the reconstruction of the slow lane from Sanctuary Road to Link Road.
SANRAL’s Eastern Region Project Manager Thabiso Dladla said there was a safety concern for vehicles that have an axle limit of 10 tons and travel in the southbound direction due to the construction works on the far left lane of N3 south that need to exit the freeway at the Peter Brown off-ramp.
The current closure in the southbound direction has reduced the freeway to two lanes before the Peter Brown off-ramp, with only the middle and far right lanes now in use.
“The N3 contains a high number of slow-moving heavy vehicles and the two-lane road section would therefore make the use of the Peter Brown off-ramp unsafe as the vehicles on the right-hand lane will need to slow down to cross the dedicated heavy vehicle lane.
“This… substantially increases the chances of incidents and accidents on this section of the carriageway,” Dladla warned.
The following areas will be affected: Athlone, Montrose, Chase Valley and Wembley.
He suggested that motorists travelling from Howick towards Pietermaritzburg and wanting an alternative route take the Cedara off-ramp (Interchange No 96) and travel on Old Howick Rd to Athlone Circle.
Alternatively, motorists can pass the Peter Brown off-ramp and take the Chatterton Road off-ramp (Interchange No 83). Motorists can then exit onto Sanctuary Road and continue onto Chase Valley Road, turning left onto McCarthy Drive. Arriving at the intersection of McCarthy Drive and Town Brush Road will grant access to Montrose.
Motorists taking the Chatterton Road off-ramp, instead of exiting it, can continue until the intersection of Chatterton Road and Town Bush Road. To gain access to the Athlone and Wembley , motorists will have to use Montgomery Drive.
“SANRAL apologises for the inconvenience caused to road users and will endeavour to complete the works as quickly as possible,” said Dladla.
