The South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) has warned motorists of lane closures that will take place on the N1 freeway near the Flying Saucer Interchange in Centurion, Gauteng, this weekend as part of the rehabilitation of the N1 sinkhole
The traffic shift is scheduled to commence at 09h00 on Friday, 26 July, and continue until 21h00 on Sunday, 28 July.
During this time, the traffic past the construction site will be reduced to between two and three lanes for various periods. These traffic control measures will only affect the southbound lanes, Sanral said.
Sanral has identified several alternative routes motorists can make use of to sidestep the N1 closures.
These comprise the M10 (Rigel offramp), and the R21 Section 2 towards Solomon Mahlangu or Nellmapius Offramp, as shown below:
“Motorists are requested to strictly adhere to the traffic accommodation and signage provided,” said the roads agency.
“Sanral apologises for any inconvenience caused.”
The end is in sight
Sanral confirmed in May that the end of the N1 sinkhole is in sight after well over two years of traffic delays.
When the sinkhole formed in January 2022 Sanral claimed it would be all fixed up in four to six months.
However, after initial inspections were conducted it was deemed that more comprehensive repairs were necessary than initially expected.
Sanral subsequently confirmed in May 2023 that the sinkhole would be rehabilitated by early 2024, provided there were no further unforeseen delays.
Come May 2024, construction was steadily progressing but the hazard had not disappeared.
Sanral revealed that the complexity of the remedial work meant it took longer than anticipated to award the tender for the job, therefore, the sinkhole is now only projected to be a thing of the past by the second quarter of 2025 – approximately three years and three months after it materialised.
On the bright side, the agency said that while construction is only expected to cease halfway through next year, all lanes of the freeway should be open again by the end of 2024.
Sanral previously stated that the rehabilitation of the N1 sinkhole would cost in the region of R280 million, though it’s unclear whether the additional year of construction will add to this already enormous bill.
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