| National route N3 | |
|---|---|
| Route information | |
| Length | 24.9 km (15.5 mi) |
| Major junctions | |
| North end | |
| Major intersections | |
| South end | |
| Location | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Highway system | |
TheN3 Eastern Bypass is a section of theJohannesburg Ring Road that forms a beltway around the city ofJohannesburg,South Africa, as part of theN3. The first section of the freeway opened in 1971, from Buccleuch to the interchange with Main Reef Road in Germiston. This is one reason whyGermiston is listed as the southbound destination of this route, from the Buccleuch to Geldenhuys Interchanges, rather than to the Elands Interchange south of Germiston. The remaining section from Main Reed Road to Black Reef Road (Rand Airport Road), which included the construction of the Geldenhuys Interchange, was opened in 1977, linking the Eastern Bypass with the N3 freeway toHeidelberg. The interchange at Main Reef Road was removed and Main Reef Road is now an overbridge.[1][2][3]
Much of the highway forms a border betweenJohannesburg andEkurhuleni. From the south, the Eastern Bypass begins at the Elands Interchange, where it merges with theN12 Southern Bypass. It ends at the Buccleuch Interchange, where it merges with theN1 Western Bypass andM1 freeways. Other exits includeM46Rand Airport Road (southbound only),M2 motorway Johannesburg/Germiston (Geldenhuys Interchange),M52 Van Buuren Road,R24 OR Tambo Int'l Airport /N12 eMalahleni (George Bizos Interchange),M16 Linksfield Road,R25 Modderfontein Road,M54 London Road, andM60 Marlboro Road.[4][5][6][7]
The entire Eastern Bypass was part of the Gautenge-Toll Project and hadopen road tolling from 3 December 2013[8] up until e-tolls were discontinued in Gauteng on 12 April 2024.[9][10]