N17 (South Africa)

National route N17
Route information
Maintained by SANRAL
Length:	205.46 mi (330.66 km)
Major junctions
West end:	R55 / M17 / M11 Wemmer Pan Road in Johannesburg
	N1 in Soweto N3 in Alberton N12 in Alberton N2 / N11 in Ermelo
East end:	MR3 at the Swaziland border near Ngwenya
Location
Major cities:	Johannesburg, Germiston, Springs, Bethal, Ermelo
Highway system
Numbered routes of South Africa ← N14 N18 →

Numbered routes of South Africa

The N17 is a national route in South Africa which runs from Johannesburg to Oshoek (Ngwenya) on the border with Swaziland. It passes through Springs, Bethal and Ermelo.

The section of the N17 from Johannesburg to Springs is a dual carriageway and is a national toll route. It was the first urban toll road in Gauteng. It runs from the M11 Wemmer Pan Road in Johannesburg to Tonk Meter Road in Springs. The first part of the N17 used to be the old R77 which ran from the M46 Rand Airport Road to the R23. As part of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Scheme, two slip roads have been made linking the N17 to the N12. It is now possible to travel from the N17 West to the N12 West and from the N12 East to the N17 East, both at the Elands Interchange (previously only possible via the N3). From Tonk Meter Road the N17 is a single carriageway freeway. The section from Springs to Leandra, ending at the interchange with the R50, was constructed by the then Transvaal Provincial Administration (TPA) in 1990 as a single carriageway road. (The R29 ran alongside the N17 from Springs to Leandra).

From Leandra, the N17 then followed the alignment of the R29 to Ermelo, and thereafter the R65 to Oshoek. However, the N17 at that time traversed through four towns (Leandra, Kinross, Trichardt and Bethal) causing delays to the traveling public, and safety risks to the local public, especially pedestrians. The R29 was also badly potholed, and without passing lanes or even shoulders, making the section from Leandra to Ermelo dangerous.

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Wikipedia