Toll plaza operator Bakwena has commenced with planned upgrades to toll plazas along the N1 and N4 highways to cope with increased traffic volumes.

The plazas the company manages will each get additional lanes, with work set for December 2017 completion.

Upgrades to the Zambesi plaza will be completed first, with work having already commenced last week. The plaza’s extra-wide lane will be closed from 17th March 2016, although the operator says measures are in place to alleviate traffic congestion on weekdays between 06h00 and 07h30 at the onramp and from 16h30 to 18h00 on the off-ramp, until mid-June this year.

Zambesi’s upgrades are expected to take three months, with the new lanes scheduled to be fully operational by end October 2016.

Upgrades to the Pumulani (two extra lanes), Stormvoel (one lane at the on/off ramp), Doornpoort (two extra lanes), Brits (one additional lane in each direction) and Marikana (one additional lane in each direction) plazas will follow.

Construction work began on the Wallmannsthal on-ramp, which will see the addition of another Class 1 ETC lane to alleviate peak morning congestion. Bakwena says measures will be implemented to alleviate current congestion.

The planned investment value of the overall project is approximately R160 million over the two-year period.