THERE were cheers all round last Friday as the north and south decks of the one-kilometre ramp of the Mt Edgecombe Interchange were joined, just two-and-a-half years after they first started moving progressively towards each other.

While motorists went about their way negotiating the labyrinth of deviations below the multi-directional bridges being constructed, history was unfolding more than 20 metres above them when the longest incrementally launched bridge in South Africa neared completion.

The one-kilometre long bridge forms part of the improvements being undertaken by the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL) at the N2/M41 Mt Edgecombe Interchange.

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Corne’ Roux, project manager for SANRAL Eastern Region, said due to the expansion of the uMhlanga and La Lucia Ridge areas, the existing interchange had been operating at capacity with vehicles backing up on the M41 and onto the N2 in peak hours.

“An additional 40 000 vehicles enter or leave the N2 from the M41 daily resulting in substantial queuing of vehicles during the day.  This, together with expected future expansions and anticipated development of the Cornubia area, required the existing interchange to be upgraded in order to improve the flow to and from the N2 and M41 to the supporting road network.”

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