The South African National Roads Agency Ltd (SANRAL) has warned the public and road users of road closures on the N1 south of Polokwane.
In a press release issued on Tuesday, SANRAL stated that construction of new over- and underpass bridge structures will commence shortly and that temporary deviations will be in place to avoid the bridge-construction sites.
A short temporary bypass with bi-directional traffic (one lane per direction) will be in operation next to the existing N1 at the Weighbridge (not in use at this stage) to construct the Hotel Bridge Overpass. Traffic will flow as normal from north to south but be restricted to one lane per direction (currently two lanes per direction).
As for the N1 south-bound overpass (the new Par-Clo interchange at the R37), traffic will be diverted from the existing N1 onto the newly constructed Ramps C and D at the N1/R37 intersection. A new intersection with traffic lights will be installed approximately 100m east of the existing traffic signal at the R37/Ramp C/Ramp D intersection. As soon as traffic is diverted onto the newly constructed Ramps C and D, construction of the new N1 south-bound overpass will commence. Traffic flow will continue as normal to the north and south through the deviation.
"The aforementioned deviations will be implemented between 29 May and 2 June and will be in operation for at least 12 months," SANRAL said.
SANRAL apologised for any inconvenience that the construction work might cause and thanked the public in advance for their patience and cooperation. "The agency takes its mandate from government to manage and maintain the national road network. In so doing, the safety and wellbeing of road users and the communities in which it operates are paramount," SANRAL said.