Durban Outer Ring Road


The Durban Outer Ring Road is a ring road that circles the city of Durban, South Africa. It consists of a single freeway, known as the N2, which links the north and south coasts of KwaZulu-Natal Province and acts as a major arterial for the Durban metropolitan area.
From north to south, the Outer Ring Road begins at the N2 North Coast Tongaat Toll Plaza passing in a southernly direction towards Durban. The freeway continues to the newly erected M65 King Shaka International Airport interchange, then continued to the M27 Umdloti and Verulum offramp. From King Shaka International to the M27 interchange, the freeway is being expanded from 2×2 lanes to 3×3 lanes in each direction and new overhead signage is being erected.
From the M27, the N2 is no longer signed as a toll road and continues towards Durban in a 2x2 lane freeway. The freeway passes the Sibaya Drive offramp and reaches the M41 Umhlanga and Mount Edgecomb interchange. In late 2013 construction began to upgrade the M41 and N2 interchange to a full flowing interchange from its prior diamond interchange shape. Work is expected to be completed in late 2015 or early 2016. As of February 2017, it is still under construction although it is nearing completion.
From the M41, the N2 then fans into a 4×4 wide freeway as it enters the urban parts of Durban. The freeway passes M25 KwaMashu Highway, Queen Nandi Road including a Petropoort and continuing to the massive M19 Umgeni/M21 Inanda Drive interchange. The interchange is a dual road interchange starting with M21 Inanda Road and linking to the M19 Umgeni Road.
In 2012, due to heavy congestions with the M19 Umgeni Road and the N2 SANRAL decided to upgrade the M19 interchange to a semi-free flowing interchange. The project was supposed to have reached completion in May 2014 but delays from local workers and striking has prolonged this. Two huge viaduct bridges have been erected for free-flowing traffic for commuters travelling on the M19 West to reach the N2 North, and for the N2 North to reach the M19 West without stopping at signals.
The N2 continues through Westwood where it reaches the EB Cloete interchange with the N3 highway coming from Johannesburg. Nicknamed "Spaghetti Junction", this five-stack free-flowing interchange is the only one in South Africa.
Once passing the interchange with the N3, the N2 continues into the southern parts of Durban meeting the terminus of the M7 Freeway with the Edwin Swales VC Drive interchange and continuing southwards passing the M1 Higginson Highway. The N2 then meets the R102 for the Umlazi off-ramp and would continue with an old Durban International Airport offramp, however in 2010 the airport was relocated to the northern parts of Durban. The off-ramp still exists but there is no signage or destination route.
The N2 passes over the M4, which provides an alternative route to the bypass for commuters who wish to drive through the central parts of the city. The M4 begins in Ballito and passes southern along the coast as a parallel alternative to the N2 cutting through the city centre and ending at the N2 in Amanzimtoti. The Durban Outer Ring road ends in Amazimtoti as the highway changes back to 2×2 lanes and over-head urban signage ends as the freeway makes its way to the South Coast.