N3 (South Africa)

National route N3
Route information
Maintained by SANRAL, N3TC, eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality
Major junctions
Southeast end	Pine Street/Commercial Road in Durban
	N2 in Durban N11 near Ladysmith N5 at Harrismith R21 N17 at Alberton N12 at Alberton N12 at Bedfordview
Northwest end	N1 near Sandton
Location
Major cities	Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Estcourt, Ladysmith, Harrismith, Heidelberg, Germiston, Johannesburg
Highway system
Numbered routes of South Africa ← N2 N4 →

The N3 is a national route in South Africa that connects Johannesburg and Durban,^[1] respectively South Africa's largest and third-largest cities. Johannesburg is the financial and commercial heartland of South Africa, while Durban is South Africa's key port and one of the busiest ports in the Southern Hemisphere and is also a holiday destination. Durban is the port through which Johannesburg imports and exports most of its goods. As a result, the N3 is a very busy highway and has a high volume of traffic.

Route

The N3 is divided into 12 sections, starting with section 1 in Durban and ending with section 12 in Johannesburg. Between the two cities, the route passes the following towns and cities: Pietermaritzburg, Estcourt, Ladysmith, Harrismith, Heidelberg and Germiston. It no longer passes through any of these towns, as bypasses have been built around all of them. The last bypass that was built was around the town of Warden.

KwaZulu-Natal

N3 freeway approaching Durban, N2/N3 E.B. Cloete Interchange in the foreground

The N3 begins in the Durban Central Business District at Pine Street and Commercial Road as a dual-carriageway freeway and heads west, passing through Berea and Mayville before intersecting with the N2 at the EB Cloete Interchange. It then heads through Westville before bypassing the south of Pinetown. The route is then tolled at Mariannhill as it leaves the urban area, and then heads towards Cato Ridge. From Cato Ridge, the route passes Camperdown before turning towards the northwest and heading towards Pietermaritzburg, the provincial capital.

After bypassing Pietermaritzburg on the east and north, the N3 heads up a steep incline known as Town Hill before passing near Hilton and Howick; a road to the Southern Drakensberg (the R617) leaves the N3 at Howick. The route then becomes rather pictureque as it heads through the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, passing through Mooi River (where another toll is located) before heading to Estcourt. Just past Estcourt, access to the Central and Northern Drakensberg via the R74 is provided, before the N3 heads in the direction of Ladysmith. The N3 passes Ladysmith to the west, with the N11 providing access to Ladysmith itself. The N3 from Cedara to Heidelberg is managed by a private concessionaire, the N3 Toll Concession.^[2]

A few kilometres after the N11 interchange, the N3 is tolled once again; the dual-carriageway freeway also ending at this point. From here, the N3 ascends the South African plateau via Van Reenen's Pass; at the top of the pass, the N3 crosses into the Free State.

A section of the N3 in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, showing the dual-carriageway freeway.

Alternative route

Where the N3 has been realigned, the old alignment has been designated R103. The R103 exists in three sections: between Durban and Ladysmith, between Warden and Villiers, and between Heidelberg and Johannesburg. The only exception is within Durban itself, where most of the old N3 alignment is designated as the M13 instead of having the usual R103 designation; the R103 diverges from the M13 in the suburb of Winston Park.

The R103 is typically used to avoid the toll plazas on the N3, with one notable exception being the Tugela East Toll Plaza located on the R103 itself where the R103 and N3 meet north of Ladysmith.

Prior to the redesignation of the National Route numbers in 1971, the N3 moved east at Heidelberg and passed through the towns of Standerton, Volksrust and Newcastle via Laign's Neck Pass, before joining the present alignment at Ladysmith. This route now designated R23 between Heidelberg and Volksrust and N11 thereafter remains an alternative to the N3.

Dual carriageway sections

Following the opening of the motorway section in December 2001 between Heidelberg and Villiers, the N3 now has at least two lanes in each direction for its entire length between the two cities. The section between Johannesburg and Villiers is dual carriageway motorway. Between Villiers and Warden the road is single carriageway motorway with two lanes in each direction. From Warden to Keeversfontein (Tugela Toll Plaza) the road is no longer motorway but retains two lanes in each direction. Thereafter, the route to Durban is dual carriageway motorway. This last section is the second longest motorway by route number, but the longest motorway following one alignment in South Africa.

Proposed Future realignment

There are certain individuals proposing plans to re-route one section of the N3 between Keeversfontein (Tugela Toll Plaza) near Ladysmith, and the start of the tolled section near Warden, probably meeting the present alignment just south of Warden. This would involve the diversion of the road over De Beer's Pass, as opposed to Van Reenen's Pass. Not only would it reduce the route distance by 14 kilometres, but would have a lower gradient. Proponents of the new road argue that the existing Van Reenen's Pass is too steep for heavy trucks and exceeds the maximum gradient of 1:7 for an officially declared national road. This has caused a huge outcry among residents of Harrismith and Van Reenen, who rely on passing traffic to sustain businesses such as restaurants, petrol stations, and holiday rest places.

The N3 Toll Concession has stated that the De Beer's bypass will be required when daily traffic volumes reach 13,900 vehicles - the current traffic volume at Van Reenen is 11,000 vehicles, and based on projected increases in traffic volumes, the bypass will need to be operational by the end of 2014, with construction commencing in the second half of 2011. However, they carefully fail to mention the additional cost this will entail for the general public and road users, which would be paid at the additional toll plaza to be added as part of the new route. Furthermore, the additional impact on congestion this new toll plaza will have on the traffic may in fact be worse than the congestion caused by the steep gradient of the current route.^[3]

Tolls

Most of the road is only usable upon the payment of toll. There are toll plazas at Marianhill, Mooiriver, Tugela, Villiers and Heidelberg. As mentioned above, most of the toll plazas can be avoided by using the R103.^[4]

A sixth toll plaza is likely to be constructed south of Warden when the De Beer's bypass (mentioned above) is built.^[3]

Open road tolling of the northernmost part of the N3, from Black Reef Road (Old Barn Interchange) to Buccleuch Interchange, came into effect from December 2013. There are a number of electronic toll gantries located on this stretch, which charge road users according to their estimated distances travelled.

Notable interchanges

50 50 [Cato Ridge] Southbound / Northbound 55 55 [Camperdown] Southbound / Northbound 60 60 [Umlaas Road] Southbound / Northbound 65 65 [Lynnefield Park / Lion Park] Southbound / Northbound

Distance from origin (km)	Exit number	Destinations	Notes
0		Durban Central Business District	N3 begins
8	165	N2 - Stanger, Port Shepstone
17	17	M13 - Pinetown	Northbound only
20	20	M7 - Pinetown, Queensburgh	Southbound only
27			Mariannhill Toll Plaza
35	35	M13 - Hillcrest	Southbound only
76	76	Pietermaritzburg	Northbound only
77	77	R56 - New England Road
81	81	R33 - Greytown
83	83	Pietermaritzburg	Southbound only
99	99	R617 - Bulwer, Southern Drakensberg
143	143	Mooi River	Mooi Toll Plaza
179	179	Central Drakensberg
194	194	R74 - Colenso, Winterton, Northern Drakensberg
230	230	N11 - Ladysmith R616 - Bergville
246	246	R103 - Ladysmith	Tugela Toll Plaza (on N3) Tugela East Toll Plaza (on R103) Dual-carriageway ends Proposed start of De Beer's bypass
272			KwaZulu-Natal/Free State provincial border
301	29	N5 - Harrismith, Bethlehem, Bloemfontein (via N1)
354	82	Warden	Proposed end of De Beer's bypass
405	133	R34 - Vrede, Frankfort
441	169	R26 - Villiers	Wilge Toll Plaza
442			Free State/Mpumalanga provincial border Dual-carriageway recommences
447	5	R51 - Balfour R54 - Vereeniging
490 (approx.)			Mpumalanga/Gauteng provincial border De Hoek Toll Plaza
501	59	R23 - Heidelberg (south), Standerton
508	66	R42 - Heidelberg (central), Nigel
512	70	R23 - Heidelberg (north), Benoni
545	103	N17 - Johannesburg, Springs	Gosforth Toll Plaza
547	105	N12 - Potchefstroom, Kimberley	N12 merges with N3
550	108	M2 - Johannesburg, Germiston
555	113	N12 - Witbank R24 - Johannesburg, OR Tambo International Airport	N12 separates from N3 and merges with R24
569	104	N1 - Bloemfontein, Pretoria M1 - Johannesburg	N3 ends

Notes

Coordinates: 28°18′56″S 29°11′56″E / 28.315678°S 29.198914°E / -28.315678; 29.198914