Travellers advised to monitor weather forecasts

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The N3 Toll Route traverses the Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal provinces and weather conditions can change quickly, especially in the mountainous areas. High winds and freezing temperatures may be experienced. Surface moisture and dew can freeze into black ice, making road conditions treacherous and slowing down progress.

Along the N3 Toll Route, Van Reenen's Pass between Harrismith and Ladysmith is prone to high winds, icy conditions and snow and is constantly monitored by N3TC and associated incident management services to ensure emergency preparedness.

Milder temperatures

"Motorists should take extra care when driving at dawn or dusk or during the night. We strongly advise motorists rather to travel during day time, when temperatures are milder and visibility better," says Con Roux, commercial manager at N3TC.

"Furthermore, motorists are advised to be prepared for inclement weather, emergencies and delays, and to take additional measures to ensure their own safety. Have your vehicle inspected before you depart and travel with extra blankets, warm clothes, medicine, food and refreshments in your vehicle. Be prepared to heed travel warnings," continues Roux.

The N3TC teams are on full alert and ready to deal with any emergency along the N3 Toll Route. Every attempt will be made to limit risks to lives and ensure general safety. Should it be required, and in the interest of safety, certain sections of the route may be closed to traffic if conditions are too dangerous and the area deemed inaccessible. "Emergency teams' ability to address difficult situations and clear the route as quickly as possible, depends heavily on road users' adherence to the emergency measures," explains Roux.

High traffic volumes

The N3 Toll Route carries high traffic volumes with approximately 35% of traffic constituting heavy vehicles. An average of 58 million tons of freight is carried along this corridor per annum. At peak times, such as holiday periods, traffic volumes can increase to well over 2,000 vehicles per hour, placing an additional burden on travelers and traffic management resources.

N3TC, as the concessionaire managing the route between Heidelberg in Gauteng and Cedara in KwaZulu-Natal, continuously strives to improve the safety of road users travelling on the N3 Toll Route.

Motorists can obtain traffic information or report any problems along the Route to N3TC's 24-hour N3TC Route Control Centre on 0800 63 4357 (0800 N3 HELP) or by following the N3 Route on Twitter: @N3Route.