Sefako Makgatho Toll Gate, Two additional lanes have been opened on the N1 at the on-ramp at the Zambezi toll plaza, Bakwena Platinum N1/N4 said this week.
Commuters in the north of Pretoria welcomed the move.
“We experience massive traffic congestion in Sefako Makgatho (Zambezi) Drive every morning and every afternoon,” said Ward 5 councillor Arnold van Niekerk.
“With the two extra lanes, traffic is flowing and the usual waiting period is reduced considerably.”
The upgrade included two new lanes in each direction.
This would which would enhance the renovation carried out in 2015 to build the double diverging diamond interchange, said Bakwena commercial manager Liam Clarke.
“Over the last few months, Bakwena has been working tirelessly to upgrade the Zambezi toll plaza. The two additional lanes will be a welcome relief to motorists who have been asking for an additional tag lane at the plaza,” she said.
“Not only are these lanes beneficial to current e-tag users on the route but will also encourage more motorists to sign up for an e-tag.”
He said the e-tag system benefited motorists by enabling them to use the Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) lanes to transit much faster and more conveniently than they would through the manual lanes.
It was estimated that 40 percent of transits through Zambezi used e-tags and during the peak period it came close to 50 percent.
Van Niekerk said according to a Bakwena toll representative it was estimated that 3 000 to 3 500 vehicles passed through the Zambezi toll plaza per hour.
“I have about 35 000 residents in my ward and then there is also Doornpoort, Montana and more Sinoville residents making use of the toll gate to get to work every day,” said Van Niekerk.
“It takes about 15 seconds per vehicle to pass through and even one lane less or extra can greatly affect traffic.”
The Zambezi toll plaza is the first of the plazas to benefit from the R160 million planned upgrades along the N1/N4 route at the Zambezi, Pumulani, Stormvoël, Doornpoort, Brits and Marikana plazas.