The R716 is a Regional Route in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

that connects

Vanderbijlpark Vanderbijlpark is an industrial town with approximately 95 000 inhabitants, situated on the Vaal River in the south of Gauteng province, South Africa. The city is named after Hendrik van der Bijl, an electrical engineer and industrialist. Vand ...

with the

R26 R26 or R-26 may refer to: Roads * R-26 regional road (Montenegro) * R26 (South Africa) Other uses * R-26 (missile), a Soviet intercontinental ballistic missile * R26 (New York City Subway car) * R-26 (salon), an artistic salon in Paris * Br ...

between Villiers and Frankfort. It passes through

Deneysville Deneysville is a small town on the banks of the Vaal Dam in the Free State province of South Africa. History Deneysville was established in 1936 and named after Deneys Reitz, writer of ''Commando: A Boer Journal of the Boer War'' and son of f ...

and

Oranjeville Oranjeville is a small town situated on the banks of the Wilge River in the Free State province of South Africa. The town is on the southern bank of the Vaal Dam, south-east of Deneysville and north-east of Heilbron. It takes its name from t ...

Route

Its north-western terminus is a junction with the R42 in

Gauteng Gauteng ( ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name in Sotho-Tswana languages means 'place of gold'. Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts for only ...

. It goes south-east for 5.5 kilometres as Ascot-on-Vaal Road, crossing the

Vaal River The Vaal River ( ; Khoemana: ) is the largest tributary of the Orange River in South Africa. The river has its source near Breyten in Mpumalanga province, east of Johannesburg and about north of Ermelo and only about from the Indian Ocean. ...

into the Free State and crossing the R59 Highway, to reach a t-junction with the R82 at

Viljoensdrif Viljoensdrif is a coal-mining village 8 km south of Vereeniging and part of the Fezile Dabi District Municipality in the Free State province of South Africa. It takes its name from ford (Afrikaans drif) which was closed to ox-wagons by Pres ...

. The R716 and R82 are co-signed southwards for 1.8 kilometers before the R716 becomes its own road south-east. From Viljoensdrif, it heads south-east for 24 kilometres to the town of

, where it meets the south-western terminus of the R549. From Deneysville, it heads south, along the western edge of the

Vaal Dam The Vaal Dam in South Africa was constructed in 1938 and lies 77 km south of OR Tambo International Airport. The lake behind the dam wall has a surface area of about and is 47 meters deep. The Vaal Dam lies on the Vaal River, which is one ...

. It then turns east, reaching the town of

. Immediately after Orangeville, it crosses the point where the

Wilge River The Wilge River ( af, Wilgerivier, meaning "willow river") is a tributary of the Vaal River in central South Africa. This river is important as part of the Tugela-Vaal Water Transfer Scheme where water is transferred from the Tugela River basin t ...

enters the Vaal Dam as the Magrieta Prinsloo Bridge, a bridge which only allows vehicles going one direction to cross it at a time (using a traffic light system). After crossing the Wilge River, it heads east-south-east, terminating at a junction with the

, midway between Frankfort to the south and Villiers to the north.

References

Regional Routes in the Free State (province) {{SouthAfrica-road-stub