EFG Engineers has been appointed by SANRAL for the upgrade of N1 Section 3 from Worcester (3.5km) to Glen Heatlie (14km), a major infrastructure project scheduled for construction from 2027.
Project Overview
The project covers a 10.5km section of the N1 National Route, providing critical national connectivity between the Western Cape and Gauteng, as well as local access between Worcester, De Doorns, and the Karoo.
This strategic upgrade forms part of broader efforts to improve safety, traffic capacity, and long-term performance along one of South Africa’s most important national transport corridors, supporting both regional mobility and economic growth.
The existing roadway currently comprises a two-lane single carriageway with limited capacity (3.7m lanes and 2.5m surfaced shoulders), and constrained geometry, operating at reduced speeds along certain sections.
This road does not meet the required horizontal and vertical standards for a 120km/h design speed and only complies with an approximately 90 km/h design speed in terms of current geometric standards.
Project objectives and scope include:
- Upgrade existing 2 lane road to a dual carriageway/freeway standard
- Improved horizontal and vertical alignment for a 120km/h design speed
- Utilisation of the existing roadway as one carriageway to optimise cost efficiency
- Retention of existing structures where feasible
- Provision of service roads parallel to the new road for local access
- Implementation of the Worcester East Interchange and integration with the planned Worcester East Ring Road (R60)
- Provision of agricultural underpasses
- Relocation of the affected critical services infrastructure
- New road-over-road, road over rail and road over river structures
- Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the proposed route options
The project is currently in the Detail Design phase and is scheduled for construction during 2027.
