| Johannesburg Ring Road | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Length | 83.2 km (51.7 mi) | |||
| Existed | 1971–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| Beltway around Johannesburg | ||||
| Major intersections |  N1 in to N3 at Buccleuch InterchangeN3 in to N12 at Elands InterchangeN12 in toN1 at Diepkloof Interchange | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | South Africa | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
TheJohannesburg Ring Road is a set offreeways that circle the city ofJohannesburg,South Africa and service theCity of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality.[1][2][3][4] The entirering road is approximately 83 km long and was ane-toll highway (withopen road tolling) from 3 December 2013[5] up until e-tolls were shut down in Gauteng on 12 April 2024.[6][7]
Construction on the Ring Road began in the late 1960s. Sections of the Eastern Bypass first opened in 1971 while the last section of the Southern Bypass opened in 1986.
The Ring Road had two major aims when it was built: to allow traffic not destined for Johannesburg to bypass the city along a number of high-speed freeways in quick and easy fashion and also to allow for the mobility ofApartheidSouth African Army to defend the state from hostile neighbours or to quell violence in blacktownships during a state of emergency.[citation needed]
The Road is composed of threefreeways that converge on thecity, and form an 80-kilometre (50 mi) loop around Johannesburg. The 3 freeways that create the Ring Road include theN3 Eastern Bypass, theN1 Western Bypass and theN12 Southern Bypass.[8]
The entire road was built withasphalt and is mostly 8 lanes wide throughout (4 lanes in either direction), with parts having up to 12 lanes wide in some areas (6 lanes in either direction), the JohannesburgRing Road is frequently clogged with traffic.[9]
The main intersections that complete the ring road include theElands Interchange, that connects theN3 Eastern Bypass with theN12 Southern Bypass, theDiepkloof Interchange, that connects theN12 Southern Bypass with theN1 Western Bypass and finally theBuccleuch Interchange connecting theN1 Western Bypass with theN3 Eastern Bypass.
 | This South African road or road transport-related article is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
