What Are National Routes In South Africa?
National routes in South Africa are a class of trunk roads and freeways which connect major cities. They form the highest category in the South African route numbering scheme, and are designated with route numbers beginning with “N”, from N1 to N18. Most segments of the national route network are officially proclaimed National Roads that are maintained by the South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL), but some segments are maintained by provincial or local road authorities.
The system was mostly built during the 1970s by the National Party government of South Africa, although construction of new roads and repairs of existing stretches continue today. The system was modeled on the United States Interstate Highwaynetwork, an idea first brought into effect by US President Dwight D. Eisenhowerduring the 1950s, based on the German Autobahn, which he experienced when touring Germany after the Second World War.
Although the terms National Road and National Route are sometimes regarded as synonymous, they have distinct meanings, and not all national routes are National Roads, while some “R”-numbered routes are proclaimed National Roads
Numbered Routes In South Africa
In South Africa some roads are designated as numbered routes to help with navigation. There is a nationwide numbering scheme consisting of national, provincial and regional routes, and within various urban areas there are schemes of metropolitan route numbering.
Numbering The Routes In South Africa
In the nationwide numbering scheme, routes are divided into a hierarchy of three categories: national routes, which are the most important routes connecting major cities; provincial routes, which connecting smaller cities and towns to the national route network; and regional routes, which connect smaller towns to the route network. Route numbers are allocated to these classes as follows:
- National routes – N1 to N20
- Provincial routes – R21 to R99
- Regional parallel routes – R101 to R120 (A Regional parallel route will consist of road segments formerly part of the national route R1xy. Nxy that have been replaced by upgraded roads)
- Regional routes in the former Cape Province: R300 to R499.
- Regional routes in the former Transvaal Province: R500 to R599
- Regional routes in KwaZulu-Natal: R600 to R699
- Regional routes in the Free State: R700 to R799
These numbers are allocated by the Route Numbering and Road Traffic Signs Sub Committee within the Roads Co-ordinating Body, an organisation which contains representatives from road authorities in national, provincial and local government.
How Are National Routes Defined?
National routes are defined and numbered by the Route Numbering and Road Traffic Signs Sub Committee within the Roads Co-ordinating Body,an organisation which contains representatives from road authorities in national, provincial and local government.
The term “national road” is frequently used to refer to a national route, but technically a “national road” is any road maintained by the South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) and need not necessarily form part of a national route, and there are “R” routes that are proclaimed National Roads.
There are also road segments of the national route network that are maintained by provincial or local authorities rather than SANRAL, and are thus not National Roads.
How Many National Roads In South Africa?
The country’s vast road network covers an impressive 7 200 kilometres in total, and transverses all kinds of terrain, from green winelands and luscious forests to rugged mountains and narrow coastal plains.There are fifteen declared national roads in South Africa.
