The Dr Chota Motala Interchange, Pietermaritzburg’s recently completed first multi-level flyover which is already a winner with motorists and commuters has won again: it has bagged a top civil engineering award.The South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE) Pietermaritzburg branch chose the intersection which was reconstructed to eliminate stressful traffic jams for an award in the Technical Excellence category.The new flyover bridge over the N3 has made life much easier for motorists coming from the northern parts of the KwaZulu-Natal capital city with three lanes each way. An additional exclusive right turn lane on the outbound side, allowing access to the N3 Durban-bound, has further eased congestion.

Before construction work commenced, motorists using the N3 off-ramp up onto Dr Chota Motala Road had to endure traffic backed up all the way to the Liberty Midlands Mall. This lane has been widened to allow smooth flow of traffic.Motorists wanting to join the N3 north now use the flyover bridge without having to turn right. This has eliminated a stop that previously resulted in traffic back-ups during morning and afternoon peaks.The long-awaited improvement goes back six years when South African National Roads Agency SOC Ltd (SANRAL) identified the Dr Chota Motala interchange as one requiring an upgrade to deal with greater volumes of traffic going through Pietermaritzburg.

SANRAL and the Mzunduzi Municipality appointed the Iliso/Aurecon Joint Venture for the detailed design of the upgraded interchange and associated road works, with Aurecon responsible for the design of all bridge work. Construction work was carried out by Group Five Joint Venture in consortium with Phambili.

Logashri Sewnarain, Regional Manager for SANRAL’s Eastern Region Office, said in keeping with SANRAL’s commitment to enhance labour-based methods wherever feasible, the construction method prescribed for the concrete pavement was for conventional labour-intensive methods to be utilised.

“The bridge has also achieved exceptional aesthetics. The project team took a decision that the webs and bottom slab of the bridge be more rounded than usual, and that aesthetic lighting as well as “golf tee” shaped piers be made part of the bridge.

“The result is a bridge which is as elegant as it is structurally sound,” said Sewnarain.