
The Ben Schoeman Freeway or Ben Schoeman Highway is the main
freeway between
Johannesburg and
Pretoria, and consists of portions of the
M1,
N1, and
N14. Opened in 1968, it is named after a former Minister of Transport
Ben Schoeman, and is undoubtedly the busiest road in South Africa.
Route
The Ben Schoeman Highway begins under the designation of the
M1, just north of the Corlett Drive exit, where the M1 is no longer under the maintenance of the
Johannesburg Roads Agency. South of Corlett Drive, the M1 is known as the De Villiers Graaff Motorway.
The M1 ends at the Buccleuch interchange with the
N3 and
N1 highways (
Johannesburg Ring Road). The Ben Schoeman Highway then becomes the N1 and passes through
Midrand and
Centurion
A centurion (; la, centurio , . la, centuriones, label=none; grc-gre, κεντυρίων, kentyríōn, or ) was a position in the Roman army during classical antiquity, nominally the commander of a century (), a military unit of around 80 ...
.
In Centurion, at the Brakfontein interchange, the N1 meets the N14 and they switch highways, with the N1 becoming the eastwards highway (
Pretoria Bypass), heading to the eastern suburbs of Pretoria and to Polokwane. The N14 leaves the eastwards highway and becomes the Ben Schoeman Highway northwards.
The entire N1 section, from the Buccleuch Interchange to the Brakfontein Interchange, is a toll road, part of the Gauteng
e-toll system (with
open road tolling).
From the Brakfontein Interchange, the Ben Schoeman Highway continues northwards as the N14 directly into
Pretoria, ending where it meets the
R101 at Kgosi Mampuru Street (formerly Potgieter Street) in Salvokop, south of Pretoria Central.
The highway was in fact opened in the reverse order, beginning in 1968 with the section from Potgieter Street to just south of Brakfontein. The second section to be opened ran from Brakfontein to just south of the then
Halfway House. The final section linked up the highway to the Buccleuch Interchange and Old Pretoria Main Road.
Maintenance and upgrades
The Ben Schoeman Highway is maintained from just north of the Corlett Drive (M30) exit before Sandton until the N14/N1 split at the Brakfontein Interchange in Centurion by
SANRAL. However, only the portion between the Buccleuch and Brakfontein interchanges is tolled. From Brakfontein Interchange to Potgieter Street (R101) in Pretoria, the highway is maintained by the
Gauteng Provincial Government
The government of Gauteng province in South Africa consists of a unicameral legislature elected by proportional representation, and an executive branch headed by a Premier who is elected by the legislature.
Legislature
The provincial le ...
.
Two major upgrades have been done on the Ben Schoeman Highway, which was initially 2 lanes in each direction from Potgieter Street to Corlett Drive.
a) The first upgrade in the late 1980s saw the section between Buccleuch and Brakfontein Interchanges upgraded to a minimum of 3 lanes in each direction. The highway was completely rebuilt using concrete. New interchanges were added at the New Road and Samrand Avenue.
b) The second major upgrade of the highway, also from Buccleuch interchange to the Brakfontein Interchange was part of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project. The highway was upgraded from 3 lanes to 4 - 5 lanes in each direction, although between the Buccleuch Interchange and the M39 Allandale Road Interchange this has been increased to 6 lanes. Although concrete underlies some of the lanes for heavy/slow traffic, the road surface is now tar for the entire length of the Ben Schoeman Highway. To fund this second upgrade, there are two
electronic tolling gantries in each direction of the highway.
The Highway has also been upgraded between Corlett Drive and the Buccleuch Interchange, although this section is not tolled, and consists of 3/4 lanes in each direction. Lighting is found along the highway from Brakfontein Interchange to Corlett Drive. The Highway now includes upgraded overhead signage as well as electronic signage.
The northern section of the highway between Brakfontein Interchange and Potgieter Street has not been upgraded, although the road has been resurfaced at times. It remains 2 lanes in each direction, does not have central lighting, and does not have any overhead signage. As a result of the Gautrain route, the diamond interchange at Trichardt Street was changed, and so north bound traffic now exits to Sunderland Road and no longer Trichardt Street.
Major interchanges
The two main interchanges on the Ben Schoeman highway are the Buccleuch Interchange (with the
N3 Eastern Bypass and
N1 Western Bypass), where the Ben Schoeman Highway changes from M1 to N1 designation, and the Brakfontein Interchange (with the N1 Danie Joubert Freeway -
Pretoria Eastern Bypass - and
N14 to Krugersdorp), where the Highway changes from N1 to N14 designation.
The interchange between the N1 and
M39 (formerly the R561), known as the Allandale Interchange, was completely redesigned as part of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project and is the only other free flowing interchange on the Ben Schoeman Highway.
References
{{Reflist
N1 (South Africa)
Toll roads in South Africa