Cape Town - The South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) has announced road closures near the Flying Saucer interchange near Centurion to allow for geotechnical investigations required to rehabilitate the sinkhole on the N1 highway.
Sanral said this investigation is needed to complete the design of remedial works required to fix the sinkhole and allow traffic to return to normal.
Sanral’s Northern Region manager Progress Hlahla said the road agency became aware of the sinkhole at the beginning of January and has since made efforts to prioritise the safety of road users which includes closing off the affected lanes immediately, redirecting traffic and alerting the public to the situation.
The Flying Saucer interchange and Botha Avenue will be closed from Sunday until Monday.
“We have planned for further investigations of the N1 sinkhole from February 6, 2022.
“As a result, we will need to close the N1 southbound between the Flying Saucer interchange and Botha Avenue on N1/R21 from 11pm on Sunday, February 6, 2022, until 4am on Monday, February 7, 2022.
“Only one lane will be open during this period,” Hlahla said.
The road agency said the closure is required for gravity survey testing to take place in fast lanes of the southbound carriageway as part of its geotechnical investigations.
It said the duration of the road closures will be kept as short as possible to avoid any further disruptions to road users.
Sanral has offered motorists travelling southwards towards Johannesburg alternative routes: from OR Tambo International Airport, continue on the R21 towards Fountain Circle and join the N14; and from Polokwane, take the off-ramp at Proefplaas Interchange (145) towards Pretoria CBD using the N4/M2 and join the M3 towards Fountains and join the N14.
“Motorists are requested to plan their trips accordingly, consider alternative routes and use caution when making use of the roads,” Hlahla added.
robin.francke@inl.co.za
IOL