R21 (South Africa)

The R21 is a major north–south provincial route (with a freeway portion designated as a National Road) in eastern Gauteng Province, South Africa.[1] Built in the early 1970s, it remains one of two freeways (the other being the N1) linking Pretoria with Johannesburg, via the R24. As the eastern of the two freeways, it links the Pretoria city centre with OR Tambo International Airport, the N12 freeway, and Boksburg. Between the Solomon Mahlangu Drive on-ramp in Monument Park, Pretoria, and the N12 in Boksburg, the R21 is an 8 lane highway and motorway (freeway), with 4 lanes in each direction.[2] It has off-ramps leading to Irene, Olifantsfontein, Benoni, and Kempton Park, including a partial offramp to Atlas Road. The route intersects the N1 Highway (Eastern Pretoria Bypass; Danie Joubert Freeway) near Centurion, the R24 near the airport, the N12 and N17 in Boksburg, and the N3 near Vosloorus on the East Rand, where it ends. The section from the N12 to the N3 is not a freeway. As early as the 1970s there were proposals to extend the R21 freeway further south and the freeway may be linked with the current eastern terminus of the M2 in Germiston in future.[3] It is also designated as the P157.[1]

Provincial route R21 shield
Provincial route R21
Route information
Maintained by SANRAL and GDRT
Length67.6 km (42.0 mi)
Major junctions
North end M5 / M7 / M18 in Pretoria
Major intersections N1 in Centurion
R25 near Tembisa
R23 near Kempton Park
R24 at OR Tambo Int'l
N12 near Boksburg
R29 in Boksburg
N17 near Boksburg
South end N3 at Vosloorus
Location
CountrySouth Africa
ProvincesGauteng
Major cities
Highway system
← N21→ R22

The R21 is the lowest "R" designated route number in South Africa. However a portion of the R21 where it exists as a freeway, from Solomon Mahlangu Drive in Pretoria, to the N12 Freeway in the East Rand is both a National Road and a toll road (e-toll highway), having been declared such in 2008, as part of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project,[4] when it was also transferred to the South African National Roads Agency.[5] The improvement project increased the number of lanes (previously, the freeway portion had been a dual carriageway freeway, with 2 lanes in each direction, from the Rietfontein Interchange to Pretoria), and installed lighting along the length of the freeway section.

Route

The R21 begins just north-east of Fountains Valley in Pretoria as Nelson Mandela Drive, at a roundabout intersection with the M18 Christina De Wit Avenue, M7 and M5 Metropolitan roads of Pretoria, heading south-east. After Fountains Valley, the R21 passes by Monument Park. After Monument Park, the R21 becomes a National Road (it becomes an e-toll highway; with open road tolling), with the first off-ramp being the M10 (Solomon Mahlangu Drive; formerly Hans Strijdom Drive) east of the Waterkloof Air Force Base. It has Pretoria East to its east and Centurion to its west.

Just after Solomon Mahlangu Drive, near the suburb of Pierre van Ryneveld Park, the R21 intersects with the N1 Highway (Danie Joubert Freeway; Pretoria Eastern Bypass), which is the freeway between Johannesburg and Polokwane. The Interchange is named the Flying Saucer Interchange. After the N1 Interchange, the R21 Freeway continues southwards and has 10 off-ramps and interchanges for the remaining 43 km length of its freeway section.

The R21 intersects with the M31 (Irene Off-ramp), R562 (Olifantsfontein Off-ramp), R25 (Birchleigh/Tembisa Off-ramp), R23 (Benoni Off-ramp), M32 (Pomona Off-ramp), M43 (Atlas Off-ramp), M96 (Kempton Park Central Off-ramp), R24 (O.R. Tambo International Airport Interchange), M41 (Jet Park Off-ramp) and N12 (Rietfontein Interchange).

After the M31 Irene off-ramp, the R21 leaves the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality and enters the City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality. From the M31 Irene off-ramp up to just after the O.R. Tambo International Airport, the R21 is followed by the M57 Metropolitan Route of Johannesburg from north to south (which can be used as an alternative route to avoid being charged fees by the e-toll system or when there are roadworks on the highway). From the R562 Olifantsfontein off-ramp to the R25 Birchleigh off-ramp, the R21 bypasses the township of Tembisa (forms its eastern boundary).

At the O.R. Tambo International Airport, south-east of Kempton Park Central, the R21 meets the R24 Freeway, which connects the airport with Johannesburg Central in the west. Via the R24 (named the Albertina Sisulu Freeway), the R21 is the only freeway apart from the Ben Schoeman Freeway (designated as the N1) that links Pretoria with Johannesburg.

North of Boksburg (just after the M41 Jet Park off-ramp), the R21 forms an interchange with the N12 Highway to Johannesburg in the west and Witbank (eMalahleni) in the east at the Rietfontein Interchange, which marks the end of the R21 being both a freeway and a toll road (e-toll highway). The R21 becomes Rietfontein Road when it junctions with the M44 Road (North Rand Road) at the next junction by East Rand Mall. Further south, at the suburb of Boksburg North, the R21 meets the M41 again and continues by way of a right turn at Rondebult Road. The R21 then meets the R29 (Cason Road) and continues south, bypassing Boksburg Central.

After Boksburg Central, the R21 crosses the N17 Highway at Elspark and continues south through Sunward Park. After Sunward Park, the R21 heads south-south-east, meeting the R554 (North Boundary Road) and intersects the M43 Road (Barry Marais Road) for the second time at a t-junction in Dawn Park.

The R21 and the M43 are co-signed south-west. As Bierman Road, the R21/M43 pass over the M35 Road (Germiston-Heidelberg Road), intersect with the R103, and reach an intersection with the N3 Freeway (Johannesburg-Durban Highway) just east of Vosloorus, which marks the end of the R21.

Albertina Sisulu Freeway

As the R24 Freeway is known as the Albertina Sisulu Freeway in Ekurhuleni between Eastgate Shopping Centre and Johannesburg International Airport, the use of the name doesn't end there. The R21 is often also called the Albertina Sisulu Freeway, Particularly the section from the O. R. Tambo International Airport interchange north to the N1 Pretoria Eastern Bypass Flying Saucer interchange near Centurion and Pretoria in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality.[6][7] It indicates that the R21 from Pretoria to the airport and the R24 from there to Bedfordview are together known as the Albertina Sisulu Freeway. Together, the R21 and the R24 are the only "freeway link" between Pretoria and Johannesburg apart from the Ben Schoeman Freeway.

The naming of the R24 Highway from Bedfordview eastwards, together with the R21 freeway from OR Tambo International Airport northwards to Pretoria as the Albertina Sisulu Freeway was already done by the time of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[8]

References
  1. "Page redirection". www.info.gov.za. Archived from the original on 2 March 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  2. "Engineering News, 26 March, 2010"
  3. "RDDA SOUTH AFRICAN NUMBERED ROUTE DESCRIPTION AND DESTINATION ANALYSIS". NATIONAL DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT. May 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  4. http://www.parliament.gov.za/live/commonrepository/Processed/20120507/423370_1.doc
  5. http://www.justice.gov.za/sca/judgments/sca_2013/sca2013-148.pdf
  6. "allAfrica.com: South Africa: R21/24 Renamed Albertina Sisulu Freeway (Page 1 of 1)". Archived from the original on 31 August 2007.
  7. "R21 renamed Albertina Sisulu". News24. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  8. "Opening of lanes on the Albertina Sisulu Freeway (R21) from the OR Tambo Airport". www.nra.co.za. 9 June 2010. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
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