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Metropolitan route M13 | ||||
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Route information | ||||
Maintained by eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality | ||||
Length | 35 km (22 mi) | |||
Major junctions | ||||
East end | M4 / R102 in Durban CBD | |||
M10 in Mayville N3 near Sherwood M15 in Sherwood M32 in Westville M31 near Paradise Valley N3 near Paradise Valley M5 in Pinetown M7 / M19 in Pinetown M1 / M31 in Pinetown R103 near Hillcrest M46 near Assagay | ||||
West end | N3 near Assagay | |||
Location | ||||
Country | South Africa | |||
Towns | Assagay, Hillcrest, Gillitts, Kloof, Pinetown, Westville, Durban | |||
Highway system | ||||
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The M13 is a metropolitan route in the Ethekwini Metropolitan Municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. For most of its route, it is a highway named King Cetshwayo Highway and it acts as an alternative route to the N3 highway for travel between the suburbs closer to the Durban CBD and the Outer West Suburbs (Assagay).
The route starts in the Durban Central Business District at an intersection with the M4. For the first few kilometres of its length, it runs parallel to the N3 on both sides as King Ndinuzulu Road North and King Ndinuzulu Road South (formerly Berea Road; one-way-streets). At the Tollgate Bridge, it then turns to the south and passes westwards through Mayville (where it is co-signed with the M10 for a few metres), before turning north and crossing under the N3 to pass through Sherwood.
At 45th Cutting, the route becomes a dual-carriageway freeway and remains as one for the rest of its length. The route passes over the N2 highway (Durban Outer Ring Road) westwards as a flyover and passes through Westville and Cowies Hill. The route then briefly touches the N3 at the Paradise Valley interchange (eastbound only) (motorists can drive from the N3 west onto the M13 west and from the M13 east onto the N3 east), before passing west-north-west through Pinetown.
After Pinetown, the route goes up Fields Hill, a 3 km 1:15 gradient (this section is notorious for heavy vehicle accidents that can close an entire carriageway of the road [1] [2] [3] ). The route then enters the Upper Highway Area, [4] passing westwards through Kloof and Gillitts, before the R103 diverges, providing access to Hillcrest. The route then passes south of Hillcrest and through Assagay before merging with the N3 freeway (westbound only) at the Key Ridge Interchange, where it ends.
The route is roughly 35 km long.
The M13 is the main thoroughfare to Durban for residents of the nearby towns of Westville, Pinetown, Kloof, Gillitts and Hillcrest.
The M13 between the Paradise Valley interchange and its termination at the N3 (Key Ridge interchange) used to be part of the N3 route until 1986, when the N3 was re-routed to pass south of Pinetown, Westmead and Winston Park. The M13 remains an alternative route to the N3, and is commonly used by motorists wishing to avoid the Mariannhill Toll Plaza, located on the N3 outside Westmead.
Durban is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South Africa, on the Natal Bay of the Indian Ocean, Durban is South Africa's busiest port and was formerly named Port Natal. North of the harbour and city centre lies the mouth of the Umgeni River; the flat city centre rises to the hills of the Berea on the west; and to the south, running along the coast, is the Bluff. Durban is the seat of the larger eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, which spans an area of 2,556 km2 (987 sq mi) and had a population of 4.2 million in 2022, making the metropolitan population one of Africa's largest on the Indian Ocean. Within the city limits, Durban's population was 595,061 in 2011. The city has a humid subtropical climate, with hot, wet summers and mild, dry winters.
The N3 is a national route in South Africa that connects Johannesburg and Durban, respectively South Africa's largest and third-largest cities. Johannesburg is the financial and commercial heartland of South Africa, while Durban is South Africa's key port and one of the busiest ports in the Southern Hemisphere and is also a holiday destination. Durban is the port through which Johannesburg imports and exports most of its goods. As a result, the N3 is a very busy highway and has a high volume of traffic.
The N1 is a national route in South Africa that runs from Cape Town through Bloemfontein, Johannesburg, Pretoria and Polokwane to Beit Bridge on the border with Zimbabwe. It forms the first section of the famed Cape to Cairo Road.
Hillcrest is a town in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa that forms part of the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality and is situated approximately 32 km north-west of Durban and 53 km south-east of Pietermaritzburg.
Kloof is a town that includes a smaller area called Everton, located approximately 26 km north-west of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Once an independent municipality, it now forms part of greater Durban area of the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality.
Pinetown is a city that forms part of the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, based just inland from Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The town is situated 16 km north-west of Durban and 64 km south-east of Pietermaritzburg.
Queensburgh is a town in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa that is situated inland (southwest) from Durban and now forms part of eThekwini, the Greater Durban metropolitan area.
Westville is an area in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and is just west and 10 km inland from the Durban CBD. It was a formerly independent municipality however it became part of the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality in 2002.
The R24 is a major East-West provincial route in the Gauteng and North West provinces that links OR Tambo International Airport with Rustenburg via Johannesburg, Krugersdorp and Magaliesburg. The process of renaming the streets and freeway that form the route from Krugersdorp eastward to OR Tambo International after anti-apartheid stalwart Albertina Sisulu was completed in 2013.
The R103 is a Regional Route in South Africa that is the designation for some of the old sections of roads that were previously the N3, prior to upgrading. It only has 3 sections, from Hillcrest to Ladysmith, from Warden to Villiers and from Heidelberg to Johannesburg.
The N2 is a national route in South Africa that runs from Cape Town through George, Gqeberha, East London, Mthatha, Port Shepstone and Durban to Ermelo. It is the main highway along the Indian Ocean coast of the country. Its current length of 2,255 kilometres (1,401 mi) makes it the longest numbered route in South Africa.
Gillitts is a town in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa.
The Upper Highway Area is a region west of the city of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is the suburban western part of the Greater Durban metropolitan area and extends from Kloof in the east to Botha’s Hill in the west. It includes the main towns of Hillcrest, Gillitts and Kloof and the smaller areas of Assagay, Botha’s Hill, Everton and Waterfall.
The N12 is a national route in South Africa which runs from George through Beaufort West, Kimberley, Klerksdorp and Johannesburg to eMalahleni.
Cato Ridge is a town in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa named after George Christopher Cato (1814-1893), the first mayor of Durban. Organisationally and administratively it is included in the Ethekwini Metropolitan Municipality as a suburb of the Outer West region.
The M5 is a long metropolitan route in the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, South Africa. It starts in KwaMashu in the north-western townships of Durban. It passes through the townships of KwaMashu, Newlands East, Newlands West, Ntuzuma and KwaDabeka. It then passes through the industrial town of New Germany and the leafy towns of Pinetown and Queensburgh before entering Durban and ending with the R102 in the Umbilo industrial area.
The M19 is a metropolitan route in the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, South Africa, connecting Pinetown to Springfield Park in Durban.
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