The South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (Sanral) has announced that they will be closing lanes on the N1 southbound due to a sinkhole in Centurion. The agency is going to try to rehabilitate the sinkhole so that traffic can return to normal.
The sinkhole is due to heavy rainfall
The sinkhole formed after heavy rains were experienced in the area. And Sanral will be doing gravity survey testing and will conduct it in the fast lanes of the highway. These surveys will help Sanral in completing the design of “remedial works” for the rehabilitation of the sinkhole.
According to the northern region manager of Sanral, Progress Hlahla, the agency is doing everything to prioritise the safety of road users. This included closing off affected lanes, redirecting traffic, and informing the public of the situation.
“We have planned for further investigations of the N1 sinkhole from 6 February 2022,” Hlahla said.
“As a result, we will need to close the N1 Southbound between the Flying Saucer Interchange and Botha Avenue on N1/R21 from 23:00 on Sunday, 6 February 2022 until 04:00 on Monday 7 February 2022.”
“Only one lane will be open during this period,” he added.
Huge sinkhole next to N1 SB just after R21 offramp pic.twitter.com/092lOE1nDt
— SA Trucker (@rsa_trucker) January 8, 2022
Alternative routes available
Sanral has said that they will keep the lanes closed for as short as possible. However, in the case that motorists need alternative routes, they have suggested the following:
- From Polokwane, take the offramp at Proefplaas Interchange (145) towards Pretoria CBD using the N4/M2, join the M3 towards Fountains, and join the N14.
- From OR Tambo International airport, continue on the R21 towards Fountain circle and join the N14.
“Motorists are requested to plan their trips accordingly, consider alternative routes and use caution when making use of the roads,” said Hlahla.