Motorists warned of Allendale interchange closure

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Pretoria - Motorists are advised that the Allandale Road Interchange on the N1 Ben Schoeman Freeway will be closed to traffic from 9pm on Friday to 13pm on Saturday.

South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) said the closure is to allow for the demolition of the existing Allandale Road Bridge crossing the freeway.

As part of the construction schedule, traffic will be re-routed onto the new, broader bridge which has been built next to the existing bridge and which forms part of the future Allandale Westbound Road.

"The demolition of the bridge which was originally opened to traffic in 1969 is necessary as the highway beneath it is earmarked for widening, a change that cannot be accommodated by the structure.

"The new bridge, which will be constructed in place of the old and forms part of the future Allandale Eastbound Road, will accommodate the wider highway and span 71.76 metres, it will also speed traffic flow, offering five lanes across its width of 28.48 metres," said SANRA spokesperson Priya Pillay.

Signage will be placed at strategic positions to alert motorists to the changes.

Motorists traveling on Allandale Road during the closure will be diverted onto the following roads depending on their intended destinations.

Motorists approaching from the east (from Kempton Park) will be diverted:

* Towards Pretoria (N1) - detour via Pretoria Main Road (R101) north to New Road Interchange.
* Towards Kyalami - detour via Pretoria Main Road (R101) north, Le Roux Avenue and Bekker Street to Allandale Road (M39).
* Towards Johannesburg (N1) - detour via Pretoria Main Road (R101) south, Maxwell Drive (R564) and Witkoppen Road (R564) to Rivonia Road Interchange.
* Towards Johannesburg (N3) - detour via Pretoria Main Road (R101) south, Eastern Road (M11) and Marlboro Drive (M60) to Marlboro Drive Interchange.
* Towards Johannesburg (M1) - detour via Pretoria Main Road (R101) south and Eastern Road (M11) to Woodmead Drive Interchange.

Motorists approaching from the west (from Kyalami) will be diverted:

* Towards Pretoria (N1) - detour via Harry Galaun Street north to New Road Interchange.
* Towards Kempton Park - detour via Harry Galaun Street north, Le Roux Avenue and Pretoria Main Road (R101) to Allandale Road (M39).
* Towards Johannesburg (N1) - detour via Woodmead Drive (R55), Maxwell Drive (R564) and Witkoppen Road (R564) to Rivonia Road Interchange.
* Towards Johannesburg (N3) - detour via Woodmead Drive (R55), Eastern Road (M11) and Marlboro Drive (M60) to Marlboro Drive Interchange.
* Towards Johannesburg (M1) - detour via Woodmead Drive (R55), Eastern Road (M11) to Woodmead Drive Interchange.

Pillay said although the work will result in temporary inconvenience for thousands of motorists, the work is essential and scheduled to create as little inconvenience as possible by avoiding peak travel times.

Immediately following the completion of the demolition process, SANRAL will be moving on to the second phase of the Allandale interchange, which will involve major changes to traffic flow as new construction areas are opened for operations.

These route changes will remain in place for about 12 months as SANRAL undertakes the extensive work required during this period.

"We apologise for the inconvenience that will be experienced during demolition and the operations of Phase 2. The final result will, however, considerably enhance the travel experience in the Allandale area," SANRAL said.