The department has gazetted the proposal for public comment.
Road agency SANRAL made the recommendation for the new toll plaza in term of the SANRAL and National Roads Acts.
The agency said that portions of the road on the N1 were declared as national roads under its portfolio in 2018, and a total stretch of approximately 1.1 kilometres can now be tolled.
The roads fall within the area that comprises the South African side of the Beitbridge International Border Post, including various roads, parking areas and buildings.
The route is located in the Limpopo Province and Musina Municipal District and is the busiest crossing from South Africa to Zimbabwe and vice versa.
Thousands of individuals and hundreds of trucks cross the border daily via the route, connecting South Africa’s economic heartland to the rest of the Southern Africa region.
The border post mainly serves South Africa and Zimbabwe but also facilitates trade with Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, and the rest of the SADC Member States.
Back in 2018, a R4 billion upgrade and refurbishment project was launched at the border post to improve traffic flows and tighten security measures at the crossing.
At the time, SANRAL said that the improvements and declaration of the route as a national route within its portfolio would allow it to toll vehicles moving southward.
According to the SADC, improvements along the route have already yielded results by improving traffic flows, reducing congestion and bolstering security. The route is now operational 24/7 and is seeing over 300 trucks passing through each day.
Before the upgrades, freight companies were waiting between five and seven days in queues to cross the border. With improved traffic flows, there is now an opportunity for South Africa to benefit.
SANRAL noted that the toll for traffic travelling in a southbound direction is currently collected by Zimbabwean Authorities on the Zimbabwean side of the border post.
It is now intended to be collected on the South African side within the South African Border Post Area.
“The toll may be collected within the Border Post Area or at another location that will be best suited taking into consideration all the border post activities that are currently or may in future take place within the border post area as well as the method of payment,” it said.
Public comments on the proposed toll plaza are open until 19 September 2025.
Issued on BusinessTech | https://businesstech.co.za/news/government/835298/new-toll-plaza-planned-for-one-of-south-africas-most-critical-routes/
