Provincial route R55 | ||||
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Route information | ||||
Maintained by GDRT (Woodmead past Laudium), City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality | ||||
Length | 43.8 km (27.2 mi) | |||
Major junctions | ||||
South end | M11 / R101 near Woodmead | |||
M1 near Woodmead R564 near Woodmead R562 near Bridle Park N14 near Olievenhoutbosch R114 in Centurion R104 in Pretoria West R514 in Claremont, Pretoria | ||||
North end | R80 in Daspoort, Pretoria | |||
Location | ||||
Country | South Africa | |||
Major cities | Sandton, Centurion, Midrand, Pretoria | |||
Highway system | ||||
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The R55 is a north-south provincial route in Gauteng, South Africa that connects Sandton with Pretoria. It passes Woodmead, Kyalami, Olievenhoutbosch, Heuweloord, Sunderland Ridge, Erasmia, Laudium/Claudius, West Park, the Daspoort Tunnel and Danville. [1] It connects with the M1, N14, and R80 highways. It is also designated as the P66-1 and K71 (newly constructed dual carriageway sections[ citation needed ]) by the Gauteng Provincial Government. [2]
The southern terminus of the R55 is a t-junction with the M11/R101 Pretoria Main Road. It then crosses and interchanges the M1 De Villiers Graaff motorway/Ben Schoeman Highway as it heads northwards through Woodmead. Leaving Woodmead, it crosses under the N1 highway (Western Bypass) before interchanging with the R564 (Maxwell Drive) in Sunninghill. It continues into Barbeque Downs before crossing the Jukskei River into Kyalami where it intersects the M39 Allandale Road. Leaving the Kyalami Estate, the M71 Main Road t-junctions the route and they are co-signed for a few metres up to Crowthorne, where the M71 becomes the road eastwards towards Grand Central Airport and the Midrand CBD. Continuing north-east, it passes through the Blue Hills agricultural holdings, crossing the R562 (Summit Road) and entering Centurion, passing through the suburb of Olievenhoutbosch, where it becomes a dual carriageway. It then intersects the N14 highway at Junction 317. [1]
Shortly after crossing the N14, it intersects the R114 in the Heuweloord suburb of Centurion. Heading northwards, the M10 intersects the route from the east close to Sunderland Ridge and later the M24 from the west, close to the Zwartkops Raceway. Continuing to Laudium, the M26 intercepts the route just south of the suburb. Leaving Laudium towards the northeast, it enters Pretoria West as Quagga Road, where it intersects the M22 and stops being a dual carriageway. At this intersection, the R55 turns north as Transoranje Road, passing through West Park and Proclamation Hill, crossing the R104 and shortly thereafter the M4 Magalies Toll Freeway. The R55 Transoranje Road heads north through Danville where it passes through the Daspoort Tunnel. [1]
Leaving the tunnel, it continues north through Claremont, Daspoort and Booysens, crossing the R80 Mabopane Highway intersection and after a short distance ends as a t-junction with Denyssen Avenue in Suiderberg, Northern Pretoria. [1]
Although parts of the road in Johannesburg were widened in 2005, other single-lane sections of the route, especially in Centurion, were in a dangerous state, due to the high volumes of traffic and presence of heavy vehicles causing the road surface to deteriorate.
Renovation of a section in Centurion between the N14 and M10/Wierda Road intersection near Sunderland Ridge began in 2007, with construction largely completed by September 2010. [3] The large Monavoni Circle was replaced with traffic lights, and a dual carriageway was built in this section, with surfaced shoulders to replace the existing narrow two-lane single carriageway. [4] [5]
Also, as a result of a fatal accident [6] the existing N14 offramp from Centurion was converted into a four-way stop temporarily, and traffic lights were later installed.
Extension of the 4 lane dual-carriageway, to replace the section between the M10/Wierda Road intersection and Erasmia, a narrow two-lane single carriageway, passing over the Hennops River, which was overloaded and had severely deteriorated, began in late 2010, and was largely completed by late 2012, along with the installation of lighting on the newly constructed sections, including the previously rebuilt section between Weirda Road and the N14. The remaining provincially maintained (existing) dual-carriageway stretch beyond Erasmia, and part of the municipality-owned section beyond Laudium to the Maunde Street entrance to Atteridgeville was rehabilitated in 2014. [7]
Laudium is an Indian township southwest of central Pretoria, in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality. Claudius is a residential suburb that is effectively an extension of Laudium.
Midrand is a town in central Gauteng, South Africa. It is situated in-between Centurion and Sandton. Formerly an independent municipality, Midrand now forms part of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality.
The Pretoria Ring Road, also known as the Pretoria Bypass, is a collection of two bypasses that together form a partial ring road around the city of Pretoria, South Africa. It consists of a section of the N1 highway as well as a section of the N4 highway. It is entirely in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality.
The Western Bypass is a section of the N1 and the Johannesburg Ring Road located in the city of Johannesburg, South Africa. Known at the time as the Concrete Highway, the freeway was initially opened in 1975 as a route to avoid the city centre of Johannesburg and to provide access to the western areas of the Witwatersrand. From the south, the Western Bypass begins at the Diepkloof Interchange in Soweto, where it splits from the N12 freeway and ends at the Buccleuch Interchange, where it merges with the N3 Eastern Bypass, M1 South and N1 Ben Schoeman freeways.
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.
The R21 is a major north–south provincial route in eastern Gauteng Province, South Africa. Built in the early 1970s, it remains one of two freeways linking Pretoria with Johannesburg, via the R24. As the eastern of the two freeways, it links the Pretoria city centre with OR Tambo International Airport and Boksburg. Between the Solomon Mahlangu Drive on-ramp in Monument Park, Pretoria, and the N12 interchange in Boksburg, the R21 is an 8 lane highway and motorway (freeway), with 4 lanes in each direction. It has off-ramps leading to Irene, Olifantsfontein, Benoni, and Kempton Park. The route intersects the N1 highway near Centurion, the R24 near the airport, the N12 and N17 in Boksburg, and the N3 near Vosloorus on the East Rand, where it ends. The section from the N12 to the N3 is not a freeway. The R21 is also designated as the P157.
The R28 is a provincial route in Gauteng, South Africa that connects Krugersdorp with Vereeniging via Randfontein. The R28 used to connect with Pretoria, but that section of the road is now part of the N14.
The R80 is a provincial route in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa that connects the Pretoria CBD with Mabopane and Soshanguve. It is a dual carriageway freeway, with 2 or 3 lanes in each direction at different points and is named the Mabopane Highway.
The N4 is a national route in South Africa that runs from Skilpadshek on the Botswana border, past Rustenburg, Pretoria, eMalahleni and Mbombela, to Komatipoort on the Mozambique border. The entire route is a toll road.
The N14 is a national route in South Africa which runs from Springbok in the Northern Cape to Pretoria in Gauteng. It passes through Upington, Kuruman, Vryburg, Krugersdorp and Centurion. The section between Pretoria and Krugersdorp is maintained by the Gauteng Provincial government and is also designated the P158.
The R101 is a Regional Route in South Africa that is the designation for some of the old sections of roads that were previously the N1, prior to upgrading. It only has 2 sections, from Bellville to Worcester and from Johannesburg to Polokwane.
The R562 is a Regional Route in Gauteng, South Africa that connects Diepsloot with Olifantsfontein (Clayville) and Thembisa via Midrand.
The R564 is a Regional Route in the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa. It connects Roodepoort with Buccleuch via Northriding and Fourways.
The R114 is a regional route in Gauteng, South Africa that runs from Muldersdrift to Centurion. The designation R114 is applied to sections of road that were previously part of the N14 that have been replaced by newly built freeway sections.
M11 is a major metropolitan route in Greater Johannesburg, South Africa. Historically it was part of the main road between Johannesburg and Pretoria; it now runs through the central and north-eastern parts of the city from Bassonia, passing through Johannesburg CBD and Hillbrow, passing through numerous older suburbs, including Houghton and Orange Grove and the Alexandra Township as Louis Botha Avenue, before it becomes the Old Pretoria Road (R101) and continues to Midrand and Pretoria.
M71 is a major metropolitan route in the City of Johannesburg, South Africa. Starting in the northern CBD, it connects the centre of Johannesburg with the northern suburbs before ending in the outer northern city of Midrand.
The M10 road is a long metropolitan route in the City of Tshwane in Gauteng, South Africa. It connects Sunderland Ridge with Mamelodi via Lyttelton and Garsfontein.
The M19 road is a short metropolitan route in the City of Tshwane in Gauteng, South Africa. It is in the city of Centurion, connecting Lyttelton with Highveld via the Centurion CBD.
The M24 road is a metropolitan route in the City of Tshwane in Gauteng, South Africa. It is in the city of Centurion, connecting Valhalla with Lyttelton.
The M34 road is a metropolitan route in the City of Tshwane in Gauteng, South Africa. It is in the city of Centurion, connecting Eldoraigne with Irene via Clubview, Die Hoewes and Doringkloof.