R102 (South Africa)

The R102 is a Regional Route in South Africa. It is the route designation for all old sections of the N2, thus it is a discontinuous road that resumes in areas where a new N2 has been constructed.

Highway system
Numbered routes of South Africa
R102 bridge over the Gamtoos River in the Kouga was built in 1895[1]

Route

Western Cape and Eastern Cape

In the Cape Town area, the R102 starts in the Central Business District and runs through Woodstock, Maitland, Goodwood and Parow before it reaches Bellville. From Bellville, it turns in a southeasterly direction and goes on the outskirts of the city through Kuils River, Eerste River and onwards to Somerset West where it merges with the existing N2.

At Mossel Bay it divides to the east again, passing through all the towns between there and George. Near Nature's Valley east of Plettenberg Bay it once again splits off, traversing the various Tsitsikamma gorges such as the Bloukrans Pass and then rejoining the N2 east of the Bloukrans Bridge. Farther east, in the Eastern Cape, it passes through the towns of Humansdorp and Jeffreys Bay before crossing the Gamtoos River and the Van Stadens River on its way to Port Elizabeth, before merging with the N2 at Coega.

KwaZulu-Natal

The R102 separates from the N2 in Port Shepstone and passes through the South Coast towns of Anerley, Umzumbe and Hibberdene, before heading inland and passing through the Mnamfu area. It then turns back towards the coast and passes through Pennington, Park Rynie, Scottburgh before entering the Ethekwini Metropolitan Municipality (Durban Metropole) at Umkomaas. The route then passes through Kingsburgh and Amanzimtoti and then passes through the industrial suburbs of Prospecton, Mobeni and Congella before entering Durban's Central Business District from the south.

North of Durban, the route passes through Durban North and bypasses KwaMashu and Phoenix, then passes through Verulam and Tongaat (bypassing King Shaka International Airport before Tongaat), before heading towards Stanger (now KwaDukuza). After Stanger, the route heads through Darnall, Mandini and Gingindlovu, passes close to Mtunzini, before heading to Empangeni. A few kilometres north of Empangeni, the route merges with the N2.

New Section

As of 2018, there are plans to realign the N2 National Route from the city of Mthatha to the town of Port Shepstone, on a new route known as the Wild Coast Toll Route or Wild Coast Highway. The N2 will take over most of the sections of the current R61 Route between the two cities, providing a shorter route through the Wild Coast.

So, as the N2 will be realigned, The old N2 route passing through Harding, Kokstad and KwaBhaca may be designated as the R102 when the project is finished.

References
  1. Sellick, W.S.J. (1904). Uitenhage, past and present : souvenir of the Centenary, 1804-1904. pp. 186, 187.
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