The N21 is a proposed national route in the City of Cape Town, South Africa. It is also known as the Peninsula Expressway ring road. Once complete, it will link the northern suburbs on the Atlantic seaboard (Melkbosstrand & Bloubergstrand) with the southern suburbs on False Bay (Muizenberg). The R300 freeway is entirely part of the proposed route (the freeway will be extended at both ends).[1]

National route N21 shield
National route N21
Route information
Maintained by SANRAL
Location
CountrySouth Africa
ProvincesWestern Cape
MunicipalitiesCity of Cape Town
Highway system
N18 R21

Background

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Proposed Route

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The proposed freeway will include sections of the existing R300 freeway and will be tolled. The name of the consortium involved in the construction of the Expressway is "Penway", short for Peninsula Expressway. The Penway has also become the local nickname for the Expressway.

Explosive growth of the Cape Town metropolitan area, especially in terms of local and international tourism, the wine industry, and the film industry, has pushed the traffic situation to a critical point.[2]

Environment

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A number of environmental impact studies have been done, to determine whether new sections of the freeway will upset the delicate ecological systems in the Cape Town area. New sections will run south of the N2 towards Zeekoevlei, which is a wetland area, and north of the N1, up to the area near Melkbosstrand.[3][4][5]

Projects

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Project R300

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During the 1990s and 2000s, the national road agency and Western Cape Department Of Road And Transportation began the final construction of the R300, the first section of the highway.[6][7]

Project N21

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The Peninsula Expressway will have junctions with three National Roads, the N1, the N2, and the N7 as well as the M3 and the M5 which are Cape Town metropolitan freeways.[8][6][1]

In August 2022 the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works announced the launch of an environmental impact assessment for the extension of the R300 from its current terminus at the N1 northwards to the R302 (Wellington Road).[9]

Opposition

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The Project to extend the R300 has been opposed by some members of society due to them wanting to preserve the areas in which the proposed road is meant to pass (such as wetlands & sanctuaries).[10][11]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b (South Africa Firm), Chand Ecosense JV (2002). The Proposed N21 (R300) Cape Town Ring Road Toll Project: Environmental Impact Assessment. Chand Ecosense JV.
  2. ^ "Developers quizzed on R300 'promise'". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  3. ^ "cape peninsula - Mountain Passes South Africa". www.mountainpassessouthafrica.co.za. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  4. ^ nowboarding. "Evergreen Noordhoek". Evergreen Lifestyle Villages. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  5. ^ Petersen, L.; Moll, E.; Collins, R.; Hockings, Marc (19 June 2012). "Development of a Compendium of Local, Wild-Harvested Species Used in the Informal Economy Trade, Cape Town, South Africa" (PDF). Ecology and Society. 17 (2). doi:10.5751/ES-04537-170226. ISSN 1708-3087.
  6. ^ a b "R300 Project | SANRAL". www.nra.co.za/. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  7. ^ "Engineering News - Tenders this year for Cape toll ring road". Engineering News. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  8. ^ "RDDA SOUTH AFRICAN NUMBERED ROUTE DESCRIPTION AND DESTINATION ANALYSIS". NATIONAL DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT. May 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  9. ^ Erasmus, Esmé (17 August 2022). "Plan to extend R300 north of the N1 highway is taking shape". TygerBurger. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  10. ^ "R300 Toll Road - Rondevlei". zandvleitrust.org.za. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  11. ^ Marrs, Dave (11 June 2004). "South Africa: Wildlife, Poverty Stand in the Way of N21". AllAfrica. Retrieved 27 August 2024.