The N2 is a national 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 coun ...

that runs from

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

through George, Gqeberha, East London,

Mthatha Mthatha , formerly Umtata, is the main city of the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality in Eastern Cape province of South Africa and the capital of OR Tambo District Municipality. The city has an airport, previously known as the K. D. Matan ...

and

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

to Ermelo. It is the main highway along the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by ...

coast of the country. Its current length of makes it the longest numbered route in

Route

Major towns and cities along the route of the N2 include

, Somerset West, Caledon, Swellendam, Mossel Bay, George,

Knysna Knysna () is a town with 76,150 inhabitants (2019 mid-year estimates) in the Western Cape province of South Africa. and is one of the destinations on the loosely defined Garden Route tourist route. It lies at 34° 2' 6.3168'' S and 23° 2' 4 ...

, Plettenberg Bay, Humansdorp,

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, So ...

Grahamstown Makhanda, also known as Grahamstown, is a town of about 140,000 people in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is situated about northeast of Port Elizabeth and southwest of East London. Makhanda is the largest town in the Makana ...

Qonce Qonce, formerly known as King William's Town, is a city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa along the banks of the Buffalo River. The city is about northwest of the Indian Ocean port of East London. Qonce, with a population of aro ...

(formerly King William's Town),

Bhisho Bhisho (formerly Bisho) is the capital of the Eastern Cape province in South Africa. The Office of the Premier, Provincial Legislature and many other government departments are headquartered in the town. The town, three kilometres from Qonce and ...

, East London,

Kokstad Kokstad is a town in the Harry Gwala District Municipality of KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Kokstad is named after the Griqua chief Adam Kok III who settled here in 1863. Kokstad is the capital town of the East Griqualand region, as it ...

Port Shepstone Port Shepstone is a large town situated on the mouth of the Mzimkhulu River, the largest river on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast of South Africa. It is located halfway between Hibberdene and Margate and is positioned 120 km south of Durban. ...

, KwaDukuza,

Empangeni Empangeni is a city in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is approximately 157 kilometres north of Durban, in hilly countryside, overlooking a flat coastal plain and the major harbour town of Richards Bay 16 kilometres away. The N2 freeway runs east ...

, Piet Retief and Ermelo.

Western Cape

Cape Metropole Cape Town N2

The N2 begins in central

at the northern end of Buitengracht Street, outside the entrance to the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. The first section of the N2 is shared with the beginning of the N1; it is a four-lane elevated freeway that runs along a strip of land between the city centre and the

Port of Cape Town The Port of Cape Town is the port of the city of Cape Town, South Africa. It is situated in Table Bay. Because of its position along one of the world's busiest trade routes it is one of the busiest ports in South Africa, handling the larges ...

. On the eastern edge of the city centre the two roads split, and the N2 turns south as Nelson Mandela Boulevard, crossing above the yards and approach tracks of Cape Town railway station. Leaving the

Central Business District A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...

(CBD), the N2 descends to ground level after the R102 Christiaan Barnard on-ramp in Woodstock. Continuing roughly east-southeast, the N2 intersects a few roads in the Woodstock area, most notably Roodebloem Road, which provides access to the M4 Main Road and University Estate, located on the north-western slopes of Devil's Peak. After leaving the Woodstock area, the N2 meets the M3 Phillip Kgosana Drive, from the southern City Bowl. Atop Mowbray Ridge in Observatory, these two roads merge into a massive 10-lane highway and bend around the University of Cape Town Medical Campus and Groote Schuur Hospital before splitting at the bottom of the ridge, with the M3 running toward the University of Cape Town and the Southern Suburbs. This intersection, called Hospital Bend, was the scene of frequent bottlenecks and accidents due to the lack of pre-selection lanes. However, this stretch of road has been extensively upgraded and made safer. After Hospital Bend, the N2 turns east and forms the border between Observatory and Mowbray, intersecting Main Road, Liesbeek Parkway, the M5 Black River Highway, and Raapenberg Road. These intersections are in very close proximity and are the source of congestion on this stretch of road. However, the closing of intersections (especially that with Main Road) was deemed undesirable due to the negative impact this would have on businesses. After leaving the Southern Suburbs, the N2 travels across the

Cape Flats The Cape Flats ( af, Die Kaapse Vlakte) is an expansive, low-lying, flat area situated to the southeast of the central business district of Cape Town. The Cape Flats is also the name of an administrative region of the City of Cape Town, which li ...

as a 6-lane freeway towards Somerset West. It travels just past the southern end of the main runway at Cape Town International Airport, crosses the M7 and R300 highways (both of which link the N2 with

Mitchells Plain Mitchells Plain is a large township located within the City of Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa and situated about from the Cape Town city centre. It is one of South Africa's largest residential areas and contains multiple smaller subu ...

in the south and Bellville and Brackenfell in the north). After the R300, the N2 becomes a 4-lane freeway, passing nearby

Khayelitsha Khayelitsha () is a township in Western Cape, South Africa, on the Cape Flats in the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality. The name is Xhosa for ''New Home''. It is reputed to be the largest

and Macassar. It enters the Helderberg region where it passes through Somerset West and is reduced to an undivided highway after the R44 intersection, which links the N2 with Stellenbosch and the Winelands. Here it passes through several intersections with

traffic lights Traffic lights, traffic signals, or stoplights – known also as robots in South Africa are signalling devices positioned at intersection (road), road intersections, pedestrian crossings, and other locations in order to control flows of traf ...

, which cause frequent congestion. After Somerset West, it bypasses Strand, Gordon's Bay, and

Sir Lowry's Pass Village Sir Lowry's Pass Village is a town near the base of Sir Lowry's Pass, about 60 km from Cape Town, South Africa. History In 1846 there was a post office, run by a postmistress, Mrs Walters, and six farms in the area. 43 years later the fir ...

. Overberg After Sir Lowry's Pass Village, the N2 climbs

Sir Lowry's Pass Sir Lowry's Pass is a mountain pass on the N2 national road in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It crosses the Hottentots Holland Mountains between Somerset West and the Elgin valley, on the main route between Cape Town and the Ga ...

to enter the

Overberg __NOTOC__ Overberg is a region in South Africa to the east of Cape Town beyond the Hottentots-Holland mountains. It lies along the Western Cape Province's south coast between the Cape Peninsula and the region known as the Garden Route in the ...

region. It passes near the town of Grabouw on the

Hottentots-Holland The Hottentots Holland Mountains are part of the Cape Fold Belt in the Western Cape, South Africa. The mountain range forms a barrier between the Cape Town metropolitan area and the southern Overberg coast. The range is primarily composed of Ta ...

plateau before descending the Houwhoek Pass to Botrivier. It then passes across the agricultural plains through the towns of Caledon, Riviersonderend, Swellendam and Riversdale to re-approach the coast at Mossel Bay, which marks the beginning of the

Garden Route The Garden Route (Afrikaans: ''Tuinroete'') is a stretch of the south-eastern coast of South Africa which extends from Witsand in the Western Cape to the border of Tsitsikamma Storms River in the Eastern Cape. The name comes from the verdan ...

. Garden Route Just west of Mossel Bay, the N2 again becomes a divided freeway, and remains one as far as the intersection with the N9/ N12 just outside George. From there, it travels across Kaaiman's Pass (see below) to Wilderness and on to

and Plettenberg Bay. After Plettenberg Bay, a section of the road is tolled as the

Tsitsikamma The Tsitsikamma National Park is a protected area on the Garden Route, Western Cape and Eastern Cape, South Africa. It is a coastal reserve well known for its indigenous forests, dramatic coastline, and the Otter Trail. On 6 March 2009 it was am ...

Toll Route, primarily because of the Bloukrans Bridge. An alternative route used to run through

Nature's Valley Nature's Valley is a holiday resort and small village on the Garden Route along the southern Cape coast of South Africa. Nature's Valley lies between the Salt River, the foothills of the Tsitsikamma Mountains, the Indian Ocean and the Groot River ...

but this was closed in 2007 after flood damage. The Bloukrans Bridge marks the border with the Eastern Cape and is the site of the world's highest bridge bungy,

Bloukrans Bridge Bungy Bloukrans Bridge Bungy is one of the world's highest commercial bungy jumping sites at above the Bloukrans River. It is situated at Bloukrans Bridge on the N2 Highway at the border between the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape in the Tsit ...

Eastern Cape

After crossing the Bloukrans Bridge, the N2 becomes the Sunshine Coast Road, passing through the Southern edge of the Tsitsikamma Nature Reserve, and regains freeway status between Nompumelelo and Witsiebos. It runs eastward as a 2-lane single carriageway highway, bypassing the resort towns of Jeffreys Bay and St. Francis Bay, as well as the town of Humansdorp. The bridges along the intersections of the regional roads with the N2 have widened decks, which indicate the ambitions of future dualling of the entire stretch of the N2 between Nompumelelo and

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colch ...

. It becomes a 4-lane dual carriageway freeway at the Van Stadens Bridge, which marks its entrance into the

Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality ( af, Nelson Mandelabaai Metropolitaanse Munisipaliteit; xh, uMasipala wase Nelson Mandela Bay or ''uMasipala waseBhayi'') is one of eight metropolitan municipalities (also called Category A municipalities) in S ...

, the third-largest metropolis along the N2. It proceeds eastwards to the city of Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth). George N2

Nelson Mandela Bay After the Van Stadens Bridge, the N2 meets the R102, which provides an alternative route to KwaNobuhle and Kariega (formerly Uitenhage) via the R334. It then enters Gqeberha as a 4-lane dual carriageway freeway. It runs eastward past the suburbs of Kabega Park and Tulbargh before making a north-easterly turn just after the R102 Kragga Kamma Road/Cape Road intersection in More Grove. It then bypasses the suburbs of Newton Park and Korsten before meeting the R75 at the Commercial Road Intersection, with the R75 linking to the Gqeberha city centre in the south and to Kariega and Graaff-Reinet in the north. It then passes through northern Sidwell, intersecting Kempston Drive (which links with the New Brighton and KwaZakhele suburbs in the north), and the M4 Settlers Way Highway (which links the N2 with the CBD and Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport in the south and the industrial areas of Deal Party in the north). The N2 then leaves the city of Gqeberha running northwards toward

, adjacent to the

, first passing across the estuarine area of the Swartkops River before meeting the R335 (which provides access to

Motherwell Motherwell ( sco, Mitherwall, gd, Tobar na Màthar) is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Historically in the parish of Dalziel and part of Lana ...

) and bypassing the Coega Special Economic Zone (SEZ), with a major intersection with Neptune Road linking the harbour with the N2. It loses freeway status after the R334 Addo South Gate intersection, and becomes a 2-lane single-carriageway highway after

. After Colchester, the N2 leaves the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality and turns north-eastwards, moving away from the coast towards

; just after Colchester, the N2 meets the southern terminus of the N10 (which heads northwards towards Middelburg and eventually

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

). After passing around Grahamstown (also known as Makhanda) on a bypass, the N2 passes through the former

Ciskei Ciskei (, or ) was a Bantustan for the Xhosa people-located in the southeast of South Africa. It covered an area of , almost entirely surrounded by what was then the Cape Province, and possessed a small coastline along the shore of the Indian O ...

, including Peddie, to enter the

Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality Buffalo City is a metropolitan municipality situated on the east coast of Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. It includes the towns of East London, Bhisho and Qonce, as well as the large townships of Mdantsane and Zwelitsha. History The mun ...

. Buffalo City (Qonce- East London) At Qonce (King William's Town) in Buffalo City, it meets the R63 and after several traffic-light intersections, the N2 turns east-southeast towards the coast, meeting it at East London. The N2 becomes a 4-lane dual carriageway road after leaving

, and regains freeway status at the La Rochelle Street intersection in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

, just outside East London. It runs past Fort Jackson and Mdantsane (there is a lack of access between the N2 and Mdantsane, despite the size of the township). It then enters the city of East London as it passes to the north of Amalinda. After the M4 Amalinda Main Road intersection, it runs north of Vincent, intersecting the M1 Western Avenue (which links the CBD to Hemingways Mall and the outlying rural areas situated along the Nahoon River). It then descends into the Nahoon River Valley, meeting the N6 after crossing the Nahoon River. The N2 then passes through Beacon Bay, partially intersecting the M8 Beacon Bay Road, and exits the city of East London before bypassing Gonubie to the north of the city. The N2 then becomes a 2-lane single-carriageway highway after the R102 Main Road intersection (Gonubie Interchange) which is also the proposed start of the Wild Coast Toll Road and is to run for towards Port Edward. It then continues as a freeway until shortly after the Brakfontein intersection, after which it leaves the Buffalo City Metro. After East London, the N2 turns again towards the interior in a northeasterly direction to avoid the difficult terrain of the Wild Coast. It passes through the former

Transkei Transkei (, meaning ''the area beyond he riverKei''), officially the Republic of Transkei ( xh, iRiphabliki yeTranskei), was an unrecognised state in the southeastern region of South Africa from 1976 to 1994. It was, along with Ciskei, a Ba ...

and its former capital,

(There are plans for the N2 to run as a 4-lane dual carriageway highway from Viedgesville to the Ngqeleni Village turn off, bypassing Mthatha to the south, as part of the N2 Wild Coast Toll Road). After passing Mthatha, the N2 passes through the towns of Qumbu,

Mount Frere Mount Frere, officially KwaBhaca, is a town located in the Eastern Cape province, previously known as the Transkei region, of South Africa. Its name in Xhosa is KwaBhaca, or "village of the Bhaca chiefdom", or "place of the Bhaca people", who ...

(KwaBhaca) and Mount Ayliff. Near

, the N2 climbs Brook's Nek to enter the province of

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is loca ...

KwaZulu-Natal

The N2 enters

atop Brooks Nek, after which it bypasses

to the south. This is also where the N2 meets the R56 from

Matatiele Matatiele is a town located in the northern part of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. According to the South African National Census of 2011, its 12,466 residents (1,113.44 per km²) and 4,107 households (366.83 per km²) make Matatie ...

. The N2 and the R56 are co-signed for , until which the R56 splits from the N2 at Stafford's Post. The N2 then runs southwards past the rural towns of

Harding Harding may refer to: People *Harding (surname) *Maureen Harding Clark (born 1946), Irish jurist Places Australia * Harding River Iran * Harding, Iran, a village in South Khorasan Province South Africa * Harding, KwaZulu-Natal United St ...

and Izingolweni, to enter

from the west through its suburb of

Marburg Marburg ( or ) is a university town in the German federal state (''Bundesland'') of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district (''Landkreis''). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has a population of approximat ...

, meeting the north-eastern terminus of the R61 Highway at the Oribi Toll Plaza. This interchange with the R61 is to be the eastern end of the

N2 Wild Coast Toll Route The N2 is a national route in South Africa that runs from Cape Town through George, Gqeberha, East London, Mthatha and Durban to Ermelo. It is the main highway along the Indian Ocean coast of the country. Its current length of makes it the l ...

from East London via

and Port Edward. The N2 then turns to the north at the Oribi Toll Plaza, becoming a highway (taking over from the R61). It runs northward from the R61 interchange as the

KwaZulu-Natal South Coast KwaZulu-Natal South Coast (better known as the KZN South Coast or just the South Coast) is a region on the southern coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It stretches from Scottburgh in the north to Port Edward in the south and Harding in the ...

Highway, first running as a dual carriageway freeway for , then losing dual carriageway status after the Umtentweni off-ramp (where it ceases to be a toll road), before regaining dual carriageway status just after

Hibberdene Hibberdene is a small coastal town on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast in South Africa. It was named after C. Maxwell-Hibberd, the former postmaster-general of Natal. Hibberdene is located in the Hibiscus Coast region of the KZN South Coast and ...

. It passes through the rural areas of Southern KwaZulu-Natal, with the rural towns of

Mthwalume Mtwalume is a settlement in Ugu District Municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. A small seaside village about 87 km south of Durban, it is predominantly a holiday and fishing village. The name "Mtwalume" is derived from ...

, Umzinto and

Dududu Dududu is a small rural area in the South Coast of the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. It is also referred to as Zembeni by locals. The area is primarily used for agriculture, i.e. the sugarcane plantations by the Illovo Sugar company. ...

, and the resort towns of Pennington,

Park Rynie Park Rynie is a small resort town on the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. It was established in 1857 and possibly named after Renetta (nicknamed Rynie) Hoets, wife of one of the John Phillip Hoffman, partner in the firm Nosworthy ...

and

Scottburgh Scottburgh () is a coastal resort town located on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It situated south of the mouth of the Mpambanyoni River ''(confuser of birds).'' History Named after Natal Colony Governor John Scott, in 186 ...

lying to the west and east of the N2, respectively. eThekwini Metropolitan Area (Durban) The N2 enters the eThekwini Metropolitan Area south of

as a dual carriageway freeway just north of

. It runs past the towns of Umkomaas and

Umgababa Umgababa is a rural community area with a large marketplace for tourists in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It forms part of eThekwini. Etymology The river valley's name ''uMgababa'' is of Zulu origin meaning ''the place of jealousy'', its origin f ...

, before entering the urban area of eThekwini at Kingsburgh and Amanzimtoti. It runs past

Isipingo Isipingo is a town situated south of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and currently forms part of eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality. The town is named after the Siphingo River, which in turn is thought to be named (in the Zulu language) f ...

and the old Durban International Airport, before splitting from the M4 at Umlazi, the M4 provides alternative highway access to the Durban CBD. After the M4 interchange, the N2 runs as an 8-lane dual carriageway freeway around the city of Durban known as the Outer Ring Road, passing through the suburbs of

Mobeni Mobeni is a suburb of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and forms part of the heavily industrialised South Durban Basin, a sub-region south of Durban. Subdivisions Mobeni is a collective of three suburbs that lie between Chatsworth and ...

, Chatsworth, Sarnia, Ridgeview and Chesterville, with the M1 Higginson Highway intersection and the M7 Solomon Mahlangu Drive interchange providing access to these suburbs as well as the town of Queensburgh (In the future, these intersections will be converted into free-flowing interchanges to accommodate the traffic that will arise from the new Durban dig-out port, which will be situated where the defunct Durban International Airport is). After leaving Chesterville, the N2 meets the N3 Highway at the EB Cloete Interchange (locally known as Spaghetti Junction) at Westville, the only 4-level stack interchange in South Africa (until the completion of the N1/R300 Stellenberg Interchange near Cape Town). It then passes through the suburbs of Clare Hills and Reservoir Hills, meeting the M19 Umgeni Drive at a large intersection just outside of Reservoir Hills. It then continues northwards past Parlock, Riverhorse Valley, Briardene and Sea Cow Lake, with the M43 Queen Nandi Drive and the R102

KwaMashu KwaMashu is a township north of Durban, South Africa. The name is in honour of Sir Marshall Campbell and means ''Place of Marshall''. KwaMashu is bordered by Newlands East to the south, Newlands West to the west, Ntuzuma to the north, Phoenix t ...

Highway providing access to these places, thereafter exiting the city of Durban and continuing towards Cornubia and uMhlanga, meeting the M41 at the Mount Edgecombe Interchange where the

Durban Outer Ring Road The Durban Outer Ring Road is a half ring road that circles the coastal city of Durban, South Africa. It consists fully of the N2 highway which links the North and South Coasts of KwaZulu-Natal, with the main link to the city being provided by the ...

ends. It then runs to the east of Verulam and to the west of eMdloti, passing by the

King Shaka International Airport King Shaka International Airport , abbreviated KSIA, is the primary international airport serving Durban, South Africa. Located in La Mercy, KwaZulu-Natal, approximately north of the city centre of Durban. The airport opened its doors to pass ...

, it is also here that the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast Toll Road begins. After the airport, it is tolled at

oThongathi oThongathi (previously and popularly known as Tongaat) is a town in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, about north of Durban and south of KwaDukuza. It now forms part of eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, or the Greater Durban area. The area is hom ...

, before leaving the Durban Metro. Umgeni

Mount-EdgeCombe 20180811 1011 47-1560x1040

After eThekwini, the N2 runs toward

Mtunzini Mtunzini ( Zulu: ''eMthunzini'', from ''umthunzi'' meaning "a place in the shade") is a small coastal town that is situated almost exactly halfway along KwaZulu-Natal's coastline in South Africa approximately 140 km north of Durban. In 2011, t ...

, passing through Ballito before being tolled again at the Mvoti Toll Plaza before KwaDukuza (formerly Stanger). It meets the R74 near KwaDukuza and shortly after ends as a dual-carriageway freeway. It then continues as a 4-lane single carriageway highway and passes through sugar cane plantations on the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast. It is tolled for the final time at Mtunzini and meets the R34, which provides access to Richards Bay to the east and

and Ulundi to the west. The stretch of the N2 between Mtunzini and Empangeni has been upgraded to a 4-lane dual carriageway. After Richards Bay, the N2 turns north, moving away from the coast into the heart of Zululand, where it bypasses Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park to the west (where the R618 provides access) and runs past the town of

Mkuze Mkuze, also named Mkhuze or uMkhuze is a small town in Northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is located approximately 350 km from the city of Durban. It is along the N2 road en route to Johannesburg, Eswatini and Mozambique; between the M ...

before turning to the north-west and running close to the border of

Eswatini Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its no ...

, passing the town of Pongola.

Mpumalanga

After leaving Pongola, the N2 makes a direct line for Piet Retief (eMkhondo) and meets the R33 to be co-signed with it as the main road through the town centre before splitting 12 km north of the town. It then heads north-west to Ermelo, where it terminates at the N11 at the corner of Voortrekkerlaan and De Emigratie Street in the town centre, just south of the N11's intersection with the N17. The total length of the road is .

Toll Plazas

Toll plazas on the N2 include:

Tsitsikamma Toll Route

*Tsitsikamma Toll Plaza, near

(includes ramp toll plazas)

South Coast Toll Route

*Oribi Toll Plaza,

(includes ramp toll plazas) *Umtentweni Ramp Toll Plaza,

North Coast Toll Route

*King Shaka Ramp Toll Plaza, near

*oThongathi Toll Plaza, near

(includes ramp toll plazas) *Mvoti Toll Plaza, near KwaDukuza *Mandini Ramp Toll Plaza, near Mandini *Dokodweni Ramp Toll Plaza, Dokodweni (near Gingindlovu) *Mtunzini Toll Plaza,

(includes ramp toll plazas)

Disruption to route

Heavy rains in 2006 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. 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 . An alternative route following the

Saasveld Saasveld is a village in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is a part of the municipality of Dinkelland, and lies about 7 km north of Hengelo. Overview It was first mentioned in 1145 as Saterslo. The etymology is unclear. The castle Sat ...

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 The Langkloof is a 160 km long valley in South Africa, lying between Herold, a small village northeast of George, and The Heights - just beyond Twee Riviere. History The kloof was given its name by Isaq Schrijver in 1689, and more thoroug ...

pass effectively lengthening the distance from George to Wilderness from 11 to over 60 km (6.8 to 38 mi). The road has since reopened while major repairs continue. Traffic on the N2 has also been disrupted on numerous occasions because of protests. On 10 September 2007, residents of Joe Slovo Informal Settlement blockaded the N2 Freeway in Cape Town near Langa. Police responded with rubber bullets, injuring over 30 residents. On 4 December 2008, a few thousand residents of eMachambini, between KwaDukuza and Richards Bay in KZN, blockaded the N2 Freeway in protest against the proposed AmaZulu World Themepark. Police opened fire and injured about 23 residents and arrested about 10. On 20 October 2012, a section of the N2 was closed after heavy rainfall caused a collapse about outside

Planned Wild Coast realignment (N2WCTR)

As of 2018, there are plans to realign the N2 National Route from

, on a shorter stretch of road, and designate the entire stretch between Port Shepstone and East London as a

toll road A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road (almost always a controlled-access highway in the present day) for which a fee (or '' toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implement ...

. As at 2022, these plans are still in the process of being completed. It is scheduled for completion in 2024 and this new N2 route will take over the entire section of the current R61 Route from

, with realignment between Port Edward and Lusikisiki (providing a shorter stretch of road between the two towns). This new route, known as the Wild Coast Toll Route (N2WCTR), will extend from East London (Gonubie Interchange) to

(Oribi Toll Plaza) and extend further north-east through

to the

Interchange, south of

. There will be two new "greenfields" sections, one between Port St. John's and Lusikisiki, and the other between Lusikisiki and Port Edward. The latter greenfields section will provide a shorter and more direct route between Port Edward and Lusikisiki while the current R61 passes through Flagstaff and Bizana on route between the two towns. The greenfields sections will include two new toll plazas, namely the Mthentu Toll Plaza between Lusikisiki and Port Edward, and the Ndwalane Toll Plaza just outside of

Port St. Johns Port St. Johns (or Port Saint Johns) is a town of about 6,500 people on the Wild Coast in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is situated at the mouth of the Umzimvubu River, northeast of East London and east of Mthatha. Port St. J ...

. The stretch from East London to

will also have two toll plazas installed: the Ngobozi Toll Plaza just north of the Great Kei Bridge and the Candu Toll Plaza just north-east of Idutywa. In this project, there are also plans to widen the N2 from Port St. Johns to East London to a 4-lane undivided highway. The new greenfields section between Lusikisiki and Port Edward will also include a 4-lane undivided highway, with a 4-lane dual carriageway through Lusikisiki. Bypasses around the towns of

Butterworth Butterworth may refer to: Places * Butterworth (ancient township), a former township centred on Milnrow, in the then Parish of Rochdale, England, United Kingdom * Butterworth, Eastern Cape, now also known as Gcuwa, a town located in South Africa * ...

(Gcuwa), Idutywa and Mthatha are to be constructed after the completion of the new toll road. According to Traveller24, this new route will be around shorter than the current N2 (and 69 km shorter than the current R61) and will be a faster route by about 3 hours for heavy vehicles (1½ hours for light vehicles). Once this new 'Wild Coast Highway' is complete, the distance between Durban and East London will be reduced to and the overall route between Durban and Cape Town will be reduced to , making the newer N2 the shorter route between Durban and Cape Town. The old N2 route passing through

and KwaBhaca would then be designated as the R102. As of 2021, some road signs on the Port Shepstone to Port Edward section of the R61 have already been changed to signs indicating the N2. Also, as of 2021, parts of the road in the Eastern Cape are under construction. N2_Margate

South Africa's road agency,

SANRAL The South African National Roads Agency SOC Ltd or SANRAL is a South African parastatal responsible for the management, maintenance and development of South Africa's proclaimed National Road network which includes many (but not all) National ("N") ...

, also initially planned to do some work on the existing section of the N2 Highway from

as part of this project, including installing toll plazas at

(midway between Port Shepstone and Durban; just north of the R612 off-ramp) and at

(in the southern part of Durban; where the

begins). SANRAL received opposition from the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality council as well as several businesses in the area over the proposed Isipingo Toll Plaza due to concerns over expenses for drivers in South Durban and traffic in the same area. Several companies in the area, led by Toyota South Africa, took SANRAL to court, and the proposed Isipingo tollgate was cancelled (the Park Rynie tollgate wasn't). However, SANRAL has said that the tolling of the N2 South Coast Highway will be considered "in the foreseeable future".

References

External links

*
N2 Wild Coast Toll Route Construction Updates
{{Western Cape highways Highways in South Africa National Roads in South Africa Roads in Cape Town Roads in South Africa Toll roads in South Africa Transport in Durban Transport in Port Elizabeth