The R61 is a long

provincial route A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

that connects

Beaufort West Beaufort West (Afrikaans: ''Beaufort-Wes''; Xhosa: ''eBhofolo'') is a town in the Western Cape province in South Africa. It is the largest town in the arid Great Karoo region, and is known as the "Capital of the Karoo". It forms part of the Bea ...

with

Port Shepstone Port Shepstone is a large town situated on the mouth of the Mzimkhulu River, the largest river on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast of South Africa. It is located halfway between Hibberdene and Margate and is positioned 120 km south of Durban ...

via

Graaff-Reinet Graaff-Reinet is a town in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is the oldest town in the province. It is also the sixth-oldest town in South Africa, after Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Simon's Town, Paarl and Swellendam. The town was the ...

Komani Queenstown, officially Komani, is a town in the middle of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, roughly halfway between the smaller towns of Cathcart and Sterkstroom on the N6 National Route. The town was established in 1853 and is curr ...

(previously Queenstown),

Mthatha Mthatha , formerly Umtata, is the main city of the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality in Eastern Cape province of South Africa and the capital of OR Tambo District Municipality. The city has an airport, previously known as the K. D. Mata ...

and Port Edward. The R61 is co-signed with the N9 for 103 kilometres from

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), ...

through Graaff-Reinet to

Bethesdaweg Nieu-Bethesda ( Afrikaans for ''New Bethesda'') is a village in the Eastern Cape at the foot of the Sneeuberge, approximately north of Graaff Reinet. It was founded in 1875 as a church town, like many other Karoo villages, and attained municip ...

, and with the N6 for 18 kilometres near Queenstown.

Route

KwaZulu-Natal

The R61 begins in

at an interchange with the

N2 Highway The N2 is a national route in South Africa that runs from Cape Town through George, Gqeberha, East London, Mthatha and Durban to Ermelo. It is the main highway along the Indian Ocean coast of the country. Its current length of makes it the l ...

from

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

(at the Oribi Toll Plaza). As the N2 leaves the freeway at an off-ramp and becomes the road westwards towards Harding and

Kokstad Kokstad is a town in the Harry Gwala District Municipality of KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Kokstad is named after the Griqua chief Adam Kok III who settled here in 1863. Kokstad is the capital town of the East Griqualand region, as ...

, the R61 takes over as the freeway south-south-west through the

KwaZulu-Natal South Coast KwaZulu-Natal South Coast (better known as the KZN South Coast or just the South Coast) is a region on the southern coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It stretches from Scottburgh in the north to Port Edward in the south and Harding in the w ...

. As the 1st section is maintained by

SANRAL The South African National Roads Agency SOC Ltd or SANRAL is a South African parastatal responsible for the management, maintenance and development of South Africa's proclaimed National Road network which includes many (but not all) National ("N" ...

, the R61 is a

toll road A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road (almost always a controlled-access highway in the present day) for which a fee (or '' toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implemen ...

for 22 km from the N2 Interchange, through Shelly Beach,

Margate Margate is a seaside town on the north coast of Kent in south-east England. The town is estimated to be 1.5 miles long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay and Westbrook. The town has been a significant m ...

and

Ramsgate Ramsgate is a seaside town in the district of Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century. In 2001 it had a population of about 40,000. In 2011, according to the Census, there was a populatio ...

, up to Southbroom. At Southbroom, it stops being both a toll road and a highway. From Port Shepstone to Southbroom, the R61 is followed by the R620. From Southbroom the R61 resumes south-south-west for 25 kilometres to Port Edward. Just after Port Edward, the R61 leaves the

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is loca ...

Province and crosses the

Mtamvuna River Mtamvuna River is a river that forms the border between KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape Provinces in South Africa. The river has a wide mouth and flows into the Indian Ocean just south of Port Edward. The Mtamvuna river is approximately 162&nb ...

via the

C. H. Mitchell Bridge The C. H. Mitchell bridge, also known as the Mtamvuna bridge, is the second longest single span bridge in South Africa. The bridge's deck is suspended by a pair of cable hangers systems, which are supported by a cross-braced double steel arch. I ...

into the Eastern Cape Province.

Eastern Cape

From the provincial boundary (Mtamvuna River), the R61 heads north-west for 50 km to the town of

Bizana Bizana is a town in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Winnie Madikizela-Mandela Local Municipality. Winnie Mandela, ex-wife of Nelson Mandela, was born here in 1936. Oliver Reginald Tambo (popularly known as OR T ...

, which it bypasses to the south. From Bizana, the R61 continues westwards for 25 kilometres to reach a junction with the R394 Road, where the R61 turns southwards and heads 110 kilometres, through Flagstaff and

Lusikisiki Lusikisiki is a town in the Ingquza Hill Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The name is onomatopoeic, derived from the rustling sound of reeds in the wind, named by the local Xhosa people. Lusikisiki is 45 kilometer ...

, to cross the

Mzimvubu River Mzimvubu River or Umzimvubu River is one of the most important rivers in South Africa. It is located in the Eastern Cape Province. Course The river has its source in the northern region of the Eastern Cape, in the area of Matatiele and Mount ...

and bypass the town of Port St. Johns to the north. Just after crossing the river, it continues westwards for 87 kilometres, bypassing Libode, to the city of

, where it crosses the

Mthatha River Mthatha River or Umtata River ( xh, 'mtathe Bawo) is a river in the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. The river flows into the Indian Ocean in an estuary located near Coffee Bay. The Mthatha river flows in a southeastern direction and is app ...

and meets the N2 National Route again in the city centre. From Mthatha, the R61 heads westwards for 83 kilometres as the

All Saints Neck All Saints Neck, is a mountain pass situated in the Eastern Cape, province of South Africa, on the Regional R61, the road between Umtata and Engcobo Ngcobo (formerly Engcobo) is a town in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Ngcobo is t ...

Pass, bypassing Mthatha Airport, to the town of Ngcobo, where it meets the eastern terminus of the R58 Road and the R61 turns to the south-south-west. At the R409 intersection near

Tsomo Tsomo is a town in Chris Hani District Municipality in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The town is 45 km east of Qamata and 48 km west of Ndabakazi. Founded in 1877, it originated as a military station known as Tsomo Post. Th ...

, the R61 turns to the west and heads for 80 kilometres, through

Cofimvaba Cofimvaba is a town in Chris Hani District Municipality in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The village is 79 km east of Queenstown on the route to Butterworth, in Thembuland. Probably named after the nearby stream which, after ...

and

Qamata Qamata is the most prominent God among the Xhosa people, Xhosa-speaking people of South-Eastern Africa. Qamata is the creator and protector of heaven and earth. Qamata is the all knowing and omnipresent God in the third dimension. In the second d ...

, to reach a t-junction with the N6 National Route. The R61 joins the N6 and they become one road north-west into the town of

(formerly Queenstown). At the roundabout with Barrable Street in Komani, the R61 becomes its own road west-south-west and after almost 2 kilometres, it meets the northern terminus of the

R67 Road The R67 is a provincial route in Eastern Cape, South Africa that connects Port Alfred with Komani (previously Queenstown) via Grahamstown. Route The R67 begins in Port Alfred, at a junction with the R72 Road. It begins by going north-north-w ...

at a roundabout. The R61 heads westwards for 136 kilometres, through

Tarkastad Tarkastad is a Karoo semi-urban settlement situated on the banks Tarka River in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Tarkastad is on a plain to the north of the Winterberg mountain range on the R61 between Cradock and Queenstown and only t ...

, to the town of Cradock, where it meets the N10 National Route. The R61 & N10 are one road northwards through the city centre of Cradock, continuing by a left turn (Commissioner Street), a right turn (JA Calata Street) and another left turn, to cross the

Great Fish River The Great Fish River (called ''great'' to distinguish it from the Namibian Fish River) ( af, Groot-Visrivier) is a river running through the South African province of the Eastern Cape. The coastal area between Port Elizabeth and the Fish Ri ...

. The R61 and the N10 remain as one road for another 4.5 km west-north-west, before the R61 becomes its own road westwards. The R61 continues for 85 kilometres as the Wapadsberg Pass to reach a junction with the N9 National Route south-east of

. They are one road southwards for 46 km into the town of

, where they meet and are co-signed for a few kilometres with the R63 Route, crossing the

Sundays River The !Khukaǁgamma or Sundaysriver ( af, Sondagsrivier) is a river in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is said to be the fastest flowing river in the country. The Inqua Khoi people, who historically were the wealthiest group in Sout ...

. From Graaff-Reinet, the R61 & N9 remain as one road west-south-west for 55 km up to the town of

. At the 4-way-junction with Hoop Street ( R338), the R61 stops co-signing with the N9 and becomes the road westwards from this junction. From Aberdeen, the R61 heads westwards for 148 kilometres, crossing into the

Western Cape The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...

Province, to enter the town of

and reach its western terminus at a junction with the N1 and N12 National Route co-signage.

Wild Coast Highway

As of 2018, there are plans to give the first section of the R61, from its starting junction with the N2 in

to its other junction with the N2 in

, to the N2 National Route. The project is scheduled for completion in 2024. Together with the N2 from Mthatha to

East London East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fa ...

, this route will be named the "Wild Coast Toll Route". While it will take over most of the R61's route, this new '' Wild Coast Highway'' of the N2 will be realigned in some places. This new Wild Coast Highway will provide a shorter and more direct route from

to Port Edward while the current R61 passes through Flagstaff and

on the route between those two towns (it will be shorter by 69 km). This new shortcut between Port Edward and Lusikisiki will have a tollgate constructed while there will also be a tollgate constructed on the current stretch from Lusikisiki to Mthatha, just outside of

Port St Johns Port St. Johns (or Port Saint Johns) is a town of about 6,500 people on the Wild Coast in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is situated at the mouth of the Umzimvubu River, northeast of East London and east of Mthatha. Port St. Joh ...

. Once the N2 Wild Coast Toll Route is complete, the R61 designation will only apply to the section of the current route from Mthatha westwards through

, Cradock and

. The old N2 section through KwaBhaca,

and Harding will also be given a different designation, probably

R102 The R.102 (originally referred to as Project H) was a British airship planned in 1930 but never built. The development of R.102 resulted from the Imperial Airship Scheme, when it became apparent that the R100 and R101 airships then being built ...

As of 2021, the road classification numbers on the board signs on the R61 between Port Shepstone and Port Edward have already been changed to signs indicating the N2 as part of the Wild Coast Highway Project, indicating that the freeway from the Oribi Toll Plaza & N2 interchange in Port Shepstone southwards will no-longer be designated as the R61. Also, some of the Eastern Cape sections of the new Wild Coast Highway are being constructed as of 2021.

References

External links