N2 (South Africa)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The N2 is the main coastal highway of South Africa. It runs from Ermelo in Mpumalanga, down towards the south coast through Kwa-Zulu Natal and the Eastern Cape, before terminating in Cape Town in the Western Cape. The N2 is part of the National Road System.
Contents |
[edit] Places of interest
The N2 is a major tourist route, passing through a number of major climatic, geographic and linguistic regions of South Africa. The following features can be found along the route:
- Game reserves
- Mountain passes
- Sub-tropical forests
- Zulu culture
- Golfing estates
- Surfing hotspots
- Nelson Mandela's birthplace
- Scenes of British colonial exploits
- The semi-desert region known as the Karoo
- The Garden Route
- The Cape Winelands
- The Cape of Good Hope.
- Table Mountain
[edit] Major Cities
The highway passes through Ermelo, Piet Retief, Empangeni, KwaDukuza, Durban, Port Shepstone, Kokstad, Mthatha, East London, Port Elizabeth, Knysna, Mossel Bay, Swellendam, Somerset West and ends in Cape Town.
[edit] The route
[edit] Ermelo to the Game Reserves
In the east the road commences at Ermelo, Mpumalanga Province, heads south-east to Piet Retief, KwaZulu-Natal Province, and continues to Pongola, while running south of the Swaziland border. At Mkuze the road heads due south to Hluhluwe allowing access to two of the major nature reserves of KwaZulu-Natal Province, namely Greater St Lucia Wetland Park and Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve. Through this section it is a wide-shouldered two-lane highway.
[edit] Dolphin Coast
From Mtubatuba the N2 follows the so called Dolphin Coast of KwaZulu-Natal, passing the towns of Empangeni where it becomes a two-lane limited-access motorway, KwaDukuza where it becomes a four-lane motorway, Tongaat and Ballito before reaching Umhlanga Rocks where the N2 is 6 lanes wide through the metropolitan area of Durban, heading south about 8km inland. Here it intersects the N3 at the Westville four-level interchange.
[edit] Hibiscus Coast
Following the coastline in a south west direction, the N2 provides a gateway to the "South Coast" linking the resort town of Amanzimtoti where it narrows to a four-lane divided freeway, Umkomaas, Scottburgh, Ifafa, Hibberdene (afterwards becoming an undivided two-lane limited-access freeway), and Umzumbe. At Port Shepstone the N2 heads inland in a westerly direction and is now just a wide-shouldered two-lane highway.
[edit] Pondoland, the former Transkei and the Wild Coast
The N2 climbs off the coastal plateau into rural KwaZulu-Natal to Kokstad. It then crosses into the Eastern Cape Province and onto Mthatha.
[edit] Border Country
Former Ciskei and back to the coast at East London, where it once again becomes a four-lane divided freeway. The back inland to King William's Town and Grahamstown, where it once again is a two-lane highway, and Addo Elephant Park. At Coega it once again traces the coastline and becomes a four-lane divided freeway into Port Elizabeth, the "Surfer's Paradise".
[edit] Garden Route
From Port Elizabeth the road travels the Garden Route, passing through Jeffreys Bay, the Storms River, the Tsitsikamma River, Plettenberg Bay, Knysna, Wilderness, and George.
[edit] Southern Cape
From George the N2 is a four-lane divided freeway, then passing through Mossel Bay, afterwards becomes a wide-shouldered two-lane highway leading through the semi-desert area of the Klein Karoo through Albertina and Riversdale.
[edit] The Cape Winelands & Overberg
Finally the road wends its way through the Cape Winelands, passing through Swellendam, Riviersonderend and Caledon before heading over Sir Lowry's Pass towards Somerset West.
[edit] Into Cape Town
This section is a four-lane divided freeway. From Somerset West it takes about 40 minutes to reach Cape Town. As it approaches Cape Town, it crosses at least four other major arteries: the R300, the N7, the M5 and the M3.
The section between the R300 and M3 is known as Settler's Way, and passes Cape Town International Airport becoming 6 lanes, Khayelitsha, Nyanga and Observatory. As it approaches the foot of Devil's Peak, it becomes known as Hospital Bend due to the notorious slope and 10 lane girth next to the Groote Schuur Hospital. After the M3 diverging as De Waal Drive, it continues into the CBD as Eastern Boulevard. It eventually merges with the N1, with both of them terminating at the entrance to the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront.
[edit] Disruption to route
Heavy rains triggered a mud-slide on the Kaaiman's pass section of the N2 between George and Wilderness. This caused the road to be temporarily closed from 26 August 2006. As a result of the slide a section of roadway sagged and large cracks appeared on the road surface. After an inspection by a team of engineers a single lane was reopened on 29 August for vehicles with a gross mass of under 5000kg.
An alternative route following the Saasveld road was put into use, but this road only allows for a single lane of traffic and light vehicles. Heavy vehicles have to take an alternative route via the R62 and Langkloof pass effectively lengthening the distance from George to Wilderness from 11km to over 600km (news24.com story). The road has since reopened but major repairs are being done.
