M31 (Johannesburg)

Metropolitan route M31
Route information
Maintained by Johannesburg Roads Agency and Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport
Length	13.6 mi (21.9 km)
Major junctions
South end	R554  / R103 Heidelberg Road, Raceview
Major intersections	M48 Du Plessis Road, Alberton N12 Southern Bypass, Alberton M38  / M46 South Rand Road, Tulisa Park N17, Elandsfontein M33 Houer Road, City Deep M19 Vickers Road, City Deep M2 Heidelberg Interchange, City and Suburban R29 Anderson Street/Marshall Street, Johannesburg R24 Commissioner Street/Albertina Sisulu Road, Johannesburg M10 Saratoga Avenue, Doornfontein M18 Abel Road, Berea M11 Louis Botha Avenue, Berea M1 Houghton Drive, Upper Houghton M1 1st Avenue, Houghton Estate M16 Riviera Road, Houghton Estate R25 11th Avenue, Houghton Estate M1  / M20 Glenhove Road, Oaklands M1 Atholl Oaklands, Abbotsford
North end	M30 Corlett Drive, Bramley
Location
Country	South Africa
Highway system
Numbered routes of South Africa
← M30 → M32

The M31 is a metropolitan route in the City of Johannesburg, South Africa. The road connects the southern suburbs of Alberton with Johannesburg's northern suburbs. The route's eastern bypass in the Johannesburg CBD connects the M2 motorway at the Heidelberg Interchange with M1 North motorway in Houghton and then the route follows the M1 motorway northwards until the M31 ends in Bramley. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Route

The M31 begins as Ring Road West in Raceview, Alberton, at a junction with the R554/R103 Heidelberg Road. ^{[4] : 154} The Ring Road West heads northwards, forming a semi-ring road on the western side of the Alberton CBD before leaving it and joining the Ring Road East. ^{[4] : 132} Ring Road East, which passes through the eastern side of the Alberton CBD, is also designated as the M31. At the merge of Ring Road West and Ring Road East north of the Alberton CBD, the M31 continues north as Voortrekker Road, where it interchanges and crosses the N12 freeway (Johannesburg Southern Bypass). ^{[4] : 132}

It changes its name to Heidelberg Road and meets the M38/M46 South Rand Road/Rand Airport Road in Tulisa Park. Continuing northwards, at Elandspark, it interchanges and crosses the N17 freeway (eastbound only) where it continues north-west through City Deep. ^{[4] : 131} Passing the Joburg Market, it crosses the M19 Marjorie Road and Vickers Street. ^{[4] : 109} Continuing north-west over a railway line and past the Kaserne railway depot, it reaches the Heidelberg Interchange on the east–west M2 motorway at the southern end of the Johannesburg CBD. ^{[4] : 108}

The M31 passes under the M2 and becomes two one-way streets (Joe Slovo Drive northwards and Sivewright Road southwards) and rises to become an overpass in the City & Suburban/Marshalltown area, heading north on the eastern side of the Johannesburg CBD, first crossing over the R29 (Marshall Street and Anderson Street), then crossing over the R24 (Commissioner Street and Albertina Sisulu Road). ^{[4] : 108} Here it turns north-east into Doornfontein, where the overpass ends and the route returns to street level. ^{[4] : 108} As it reaches the outskirts of the University of Johannesburg (Doornfontein campus) it again rises to become an overpass, crossing Charlton Terrace, and enters Berea and Yeoville (where it stops being one-way streets), continuing north to meet Louis Botha Avenue (M11). ^{[4] : 108}

It crosses under Louis Botha Avenue in Upper Houghton, immediately forming a short hairpin bend to the west and reaches Houghton Drive. ^{[4] : 82} At Houghton Drive the route turns north on this road passing through The Wilds Municipal Nature Reserve to an intersection. ^{[4] : 82} The road north accesses the M1 motorway but the M31 turns east as Houghton Drive and then immediately turns north as West Street, where it reaches a junction with 1st Avenue in Houghton Estate. ^{[4] : 82} This 1st Avenue gives access to the M1 south motorway. Crossing 1st Avenue, the M31 continues north to where the Riviera Road (M16) intersects it from the west and that road gives access to the M1 north. ^{[4] : 82} Continuing north, the M31 reaches 11th Avenue (R25) and that road gives access to the M1 south. ^{[4] : 82} Crossing 11th Avenue it continues north until it reaches Glenhove Road (M20) in Oaklands. ^{[4] : 56} Here the route turns east as Pretoria Street and then immediately turns north-east as Atholl Oaklands Road. ^{[4] : 56} At its M1 intersection in Abbotsford, Atholl Oaklands Road heads north across the motorway while the M31 splits, continuing north-east as Scott Street through Waverley until it ends at an intersection with Corlett Drive (M30) in Bramley. ^{[4] : 56}

References

1. "Johannesburg Roads Agency - Company documents". www.jra.org.za. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
2. "Johannesburg Road Agency Q2 2021 Report" (PDF). Johannesburg Road Agency Website. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
3. "RDDA SOUTH AFRICAN NUMBERED ROUTE DESCRIPTION AND DESTINATION ANALYSIS". NATIONAL DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT. May 2012. Archived from the original on 29 January 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
4. Street Guide Witwatersrand (11 ed.). MapStudio. 2001. ISBN   1-86809-537-1.