Route map of the N1

The N1 is a South African National Road, running from Cape Town to Beit Bridge on the border with Zimbabwe. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa The National Road System is a network of Highways that links all the major population centers in South Africa. Cape Town (Kaapstad Xhosa: Ikapa) is the second most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the metropolitan municipality of the Beitbridge is a border town in the province of Matabeleland South, Zimbabwe. Borders define geographic boundaries of political entities or legal jurisdictions such as Governments States or subnational administrative See also Great Zimbabwe National Monument. For information about the March and June 2008 presidential elections see Zimbabwean presidential election It is also the main road link between Johannesburg and Cape Town. Johannesburg ( Pronounced /jō-hān'ĭs-bûrg'/ is the largest city in South Africa.

Route

A section of dual carriageway on the N1 near Vanderbijlpark, in Gauteng Province

The N1 starts as a freeway in the Cape Town Central Business District and moves north-east out of the city, through the metropolitan area (where it ranges from 6 to 8 lane freeway), to the town of Paarl before passing through the Huguenot Tunnel (the section through the tunnel is tolled). Vanderbijlpark ( Pronounced fʌndɪɹbeɪlpɑːɹk is an industrial city next to the Vaal River in southern Gauteng, South Africa. Gauteng (xaʊˈtɛŋ Sotho xɑ́útʼèŋ̀ is a province of South Africa. Paarl (derived from Parel, meaning Pearl in Dutch is the third oldest European settlement in the Republic of South Africa (after Cape The Huguenot Tunnel is a Toll tunnel near Cape Town, South Africa. This first section is freeway. After Worcester, major towns along the route include Touws River, Beaufort West, and Colesberg, before the road reaches Bloemfontein, where it becomes freeway again and forms the Bloemfontein Western Bypass. Worcester, in the Western Cape South Africa, with a population of 76894 is the largest town in the Breede River Valley Colesberg is a South African town in the Northern Cape and on the main road from Cape Town to Johannesburg. Bloemfontein (ˈbluːmfɒnteɪn Afrikaans and Dutch for "spring of Bloem (bloom"

Other towns and cities along the route between here and Johannesburg include Winburg and Kroonstad. Winburg is a small mixed farming town in the Free State province of South Africa. The town of Kroonstad, the third-largest town in Free State province of South Africa, lies two hours drive from Gauteng. Just south of the Vaal River, the road becomes freeway again as it passes Vanderbijlpark in the Vaal Triangle, this section south of Johannesburg is a tolled section. This is for the river for the extraterrestrial robot deity see The Apple (Star Trek The Vaal River is the largest tributary of the Orange Vanderbijlpark ( Pronounced fʌndɪɹbeɪlpɑːɹk is an industrial city next to the Vaal River in southern Gauteng, South Africa. The Vaal Triangle is a triangular area of land formed by Vereeniging, Vanderbijlpark and Sasolburg - together they comprise a substantial urban Johannesburg ( Pronounced /jō-hān'ĭs-bûrg'/ is the largest city in South Africa. The road fans out into wider freeway as it forms the Johannesburg Ring Road N1 Western Bypass or "Concrete Highway. The Johannesburg Ring Road is Africa's most famous Beltway. It is made up of a subset of the freeways that circle the city of Johannesburg, South The N1 Western Bypass, also known as the Concrete Highway, is a section of the Johannesburg Ring Road located in the city of Johannesburg, South Africa " After cutting a swathe through Johannesburg's western suburbs, the road moves north to Pretoria, where it becomes part of South Africa's busiest road (southern hemisphere's busiest), the Ben Schoeman Highway, carrying some 300,000 vehicles every day between the country's largest city and its administrative capital. Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa.

At Pretoria, the road forms the Pretoria Eastern Bypass, where it intersects the R21 highway, before moving northwards to Polokwane (formerly Pietersburg). The Pretoria Bypass a collection of two bypasses that together form a partial Ring road around the city of Pretoria, South Africa. The R21 is a major north-south regional route in eastern Gauteng Province, South Africa. Pietersburg is a City, Municipality and the capital of the Limpopo province in South Africa. This section north of Pretoria is a tolled highway. Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. After this, the road passes through Louis Trichardt and Musina before ending at Beit Bridge. After Beit Bridge, the road is no longer called the N1 as it enters Zimbabwe.

Various sections of the N1 are tolled. Motorist pay as much as US$40 between Johannesburg and Beit Bridge depending on the size of the vehicle, heavy truck drivers can pay as much as US$250 on the same distance. But motorist can reduce this by using alternative routes such as the old N1 (now called the R101) which passes through the center of some small towns on the way.

The N1 provides a high-quality, high-speed link between the north and south of South Africa, most notably Johannesburg and Pretoria (a distance of some 37 miles/ 60km) and Johannesburg and Cape Town (a distance of some 870 miles/ 1400km).

The N1 forms the first section of the famed Cape to Cairo Road. The Cape to Cairo Road or 'Pan-African Highway' sometimes called the Great North Road in sub-Saharan Africa was an imperial dream envisioned by the British Empire that would

Old Route

The N1 freeway as it enters Cape Town past Century City

In numerous places in South Africa, specifically near major cities where the old N1 route as been completely altered to accommodate new freeway standards. Century City is a suburb of the South African city of Cape Town that conforms to the "new urbanism" of creating integrated neighbourhoods including The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa These old routes always carry the designation of R101 and are often alternative routes to newer, tolled highways. An example is the R101 over Du Toitskloof Pass where the new N1 highway bypasses the pass almost altogether by use of the Huguenot Tunnel. The R101 is a regional highway in South Africa that is the designation for old sections that were previously the N1, prior to upgrading The Huguenot Tunnel is a Toll tunnel near Cape Town, South Africa.

External links

• National Roads Agency SA