N3 Toll Concession (N3TC), the company managing the N3 Toll Route between Cedara in KwaZulu-Natal and Heidelberg in Gauteng, advises all travellers to arm themselves with verified information before departure on the N3 Toll Route.
This warning follows after 18 trucks were set alight last night (29 April) during protest action in the vicinity of the Mooi Toll Plaza near the town of Mooi River in KwaZulu-Natal. The N3 Toll Route had to be closed in this region.
The Mooi Toll Plaza is currently shut down (as at 09:00 Monday, 30 April) whilst recovery, clean-up and repair operations are in progress. Southbound traffic is being diverted at Estcourt through Greytown to Pietermaritzburg; and northbound traffic is diverted at the Mooi River (Wimpy) off-ramps onto the R103 and then back onto the N3 Toll Route at Hidcote/Estcourt.
“Judging by the high traffic volumes experienced on the N3 Toll Route at the start of the long weekend, it is expected that thousands of vehicles will be returning towards Gauteng (northbound) on Tuesday, 01 May 2018. All resources, including SAPS, traffic officials, emergency services and the N3TC patrol teams, have been deployed to ensure safety. At this stage, further protest action cannot be ruled out although every effort is being made by law enforcement authorities to contain the situation,” explains N3TC’s commercial manager, Con Roux.
It is strongly recommended to anyone planning to travel in the next few days to obtain prior information about travel conditions along the N3 Toll Route. Under the current conditions traffic congestion and delays can be expected.
Contact the 24-hour N3 Route Helpline on 0800 63 4357 to get traffic updates and follow N3TC on Twitter: @N3Route for real-time traffic reports. Any problems on the N3 Toll Route can also be reported to this number or via Twitter.
“If at all possible, we advise road users to travel during daytime for their own safety,” says Roux.