Motorists who spent the night in their cars after heavy snow closed the N3 at Van Reenen walk on the national highway to buy food and supplies at the Montrose Ultra City.Image: Darryl Hammond

N3 reopened and flowing after weekend snow storm

by · SowetanLIVE

The N3 has been fully reopened and traffic is flowing, but motorists were advised to only start using it during the day on Monday. 

The toll road was thrown into chaos over the weekend when road users were left trapped and cold in heavy snow for hours on end.

Videos and images were shared on social media showing vehicles stuck in a thick blanket of snow and unable to move.

The N3 toll concession said: "Following this weekend’s severe snowfalls, which caused major traffic disruptions and had road users stranded for almost two days between Tugela Plaza and Harrismith, N3TC is pleased to inform road users that mobility is fully restored on the N3 toll route.

"The extensive backlog of traffic between KwaZulu-Natal and Free State has been cleared."

While they have assessed the area between Tugela and Harrismith and found it safe to travel on, the N3TC urged motorists to only commence with their trips from Monday and during the day.

COO Thania Dhoogra said: “Daytime travel is always the safer choice. We remind road users to plan ahead and be prepared for any eventuality before you set out on your journey. Pay attention to road and weather conditions, and stay informed. Conditions on a road can change rapidly, as we have seen over the past few days.”

TimesLIVE

The public didn't understand the level of risk – climatologistA climatologist has revealed that SA is good at forecasting inclement weather and sending out warnings timeously to citizens. But the chaos that happened when heavy snow fell in parts of KwaZulu-Natal shows we don’t have strategies in place to deal with extreme climates.Botho Molosankwe and Jeanette Chabalala, 23 Sep 2024Man dies from cold weather after taxi is stuck in snowThe heavy snow that fell in many parts of KwaZulu-Natal this weekend has claimed the life of a man who was a passenger in a taxi that was stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the snow-covered N3 highway.Jeanette Chabalala, 22 Sep 2024Better weather conditions expected this week – ForecasterThe SA Weather Service says temperatures will start recovering and the snow that fell in some parts of the country to melt as temperatures rise throughout the week.Jeanette Chabalala, 22 Sep 2024SOWETAN SAYS | Improve response to disastersNo sooner had reports of scores of motorists stuck in a snow blizzard on the N3 over the weekend surfaced, a public debate ensued about why travellers undertook road trips despite several warnings earlier in the week about expected severe weather. Emotive as it may have been, that debate is neither here nor there.23 Sep 2024