The upgraded N14 freeway from Krugersdorp to Diepsloot was opened by Gauteng MEC for roads and transport, Ismail Vadi, at the end of last week.

“We’ve basically given a new lease of life to a very busy freeway and there will be no toll fees,” Vadi said.

He explained that Phase 1 of the N14 project saw the rehabilitation of 20 km of the dual carriageway starting from Hendrik Potgieter Drive and extended out to Diepsloot near Centurion.

At the opening, Vadi noted that the project completely repaired 20 kms of the N14 freeway and that this had given it a new design life of 20 years. He added that the project “provided employment and skills development training during construction to over 300 local employees, enabled economic empowerment of local contractors and improved the road safety features on the freeway”.

The project came with a R306 million price tag and took 18 months to complete. Vadi expressed his satisfaction that the project was completed on time.

In July 2015, the department described the highway as a “high traffic volume freeway that was under severe stress”, and said that the road had degraded over the years and needed urgent rehabilitation.

The department also indicated that the freeway had a traffic growth rate of 3.2% annually.

The N14 is a major provincial arterial road linking the southern and western regions of Gauteng to the north of the province. It is used daily for commuting to work and school, freight traffic and also serves as an economic link to the western corridor of the province.

Vadi also noted that the N14 links Lanseria Airport, the Cradle of Humankind and the North West province and that it would play an important role in kick-starting the development of a new city around Lanseria airport in the future.

Vadi said that Phase 2 of the N14 upgrade would be launched in 2017.