R74 Roadworks

The roadworks on the R74 from Harrismith have resumed. This is good news as the roadworks had been abandoned when the construction company doing them was liquidated. For several years guests from Gauteng had to navigate a terrible 14km section. The bad news is that with ongoing roadworks, there are 2 stop / go delays. The average wait (for both stop gos added together) is 20 minutes.

When travelling from Jo’burg you will encounter the roadworks 14km after Harrismith. The first stop / go: You can wait at the stop / go for up to 30 minutes, but on average you wait 15 minutes.

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Above: This is the first section under construction which you will encounter on your way from Johannesburg. The photos were taken on the way back to Johannesburg, so you will be travelling in the opposite direction when you are going to The Cavern. This section is 5.5km.

After the construction you will be taken on a dirt detour with traffic in both directions. There are some nasty speed humps on the detour.

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The above photo shows one of the speed humps. They are only on the first part of the dirt road when you travel from Johannesburg. Some people have reported that they forgot about them on the way back. They are only on the second part of the dirt road section when you travel to Jo’burg. Dont forget about them or you may damage your car!

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Above: The second part of the dirt road detour. Its a little rough in places, but I could manage 60 – 70 kmph mostly. During the first section you have to drop speed to 30kmph whenever you get to one of the speed humps. The dirt detour is 14km.

After this there is one more stop go. Its a tar section with one lane closed for 3.4km. The wait here is 5-10 minutes. After the construction, its 13km to the bottom of the pass.

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