SANRAL scheduled a full N3 closure in both directions between Cato Ridge and Hammarsdale from 18:00 SAST on Saturday, 14 November, until 05:00 on Monday, 16 November 2026. Motorists travelling on Sunday should check current traffic instructions before setting out.
The closure is for demolition of the Harrison East Bridge, the D157 overpass, according to the SANRAL notice dated 9 November. It is scheduled work, not confirmation that the highway is already closed.
Diversions in both directions
Southbound traffic towards Durban is to leave at Cato Ridge, follow the R103/Old Main Road and MR385, and rejoin at Hammarsdale. Northbound traffic towards Pietermaritzburg is to take the reverse route from Hammarsdale to Cato Ridge.
SANRAL advises allowing extra travel time and following temporary signs and authorised traffic officials.
Local bridge crossing is a separate restriction
The D157 crossing also closes for demolition and replacement, with local traffic directed via the D12 overpass. Its longer reconstruction period is separate from the scheduled weekend N3 closure.
Archive aerial photograph of the N3 approach to Durban and the N2/N3 interchange, taken on 16 November 2011. This is not the Cato Ridge-Hammarsdale closure site or current roadworks. Photo: Andres de Wet / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0; contrast and midtones adjusted by JMK in 2019. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DurbanN3-aerial.jpg . Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ . Display may crop or resize; adaptations retain the same licence.
