The N2 is a national route in South Africa that runs from Cape Town through George, Gqeberha, East London, Mthatha, Port Shepstone and Durban to Ermelo. It is the main highway along the Indian Ocean coast of the country. Its current length of makes it the longest numbered route in South Africa.
Prior to 1970, the N2 designation only applied to the route from Cape Town to Durban.
There are plans to realign the N2 national route from Port Shepstone to Mthatha along a shorter stretch of road that passes through Port Edward, Lusikisiki and Port St. Johns. The project was initially scheduled for completion in 2024 and is expected to reduce the length of the route by . Combined with the existing N2 route from Mthatha to East London, the realigned route will form the Wild Coast Toll Route.
Route
Western Cape
Cape Metropole
The N2 begins in central Cape Town at the northern end of Buitengracht Street (M62), outside the entrance to the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. The first section of the N2 is shared with the beginning of the N1; it is a four-lane elevated freeway that runs along a strip of land between the city centre and the Port of Cape Town. On the eastern edge of the city centre the two roads split, and the N2 turns south as Nelson Mandela Boulevard (formerly Eastern Boulevard), crossing above the yards and approach tracks of Cape Town railway station.
Leaving the Central Business District (CBD), the N2 descends to ground level after the R102 Christiaan Barnard on-ramp in Woodstock. Continuing roughly east-southeast, the N2 intersects a few roads in the Woodstock area, most notably Roodebloem Road, which provides access to the M4 Main Road and University Estate, located on the north-western slopes of Devil's Peak.
After leaving the Woodstock area, the N2 meets the M3 Phillip Kgosana Drive, from the southern City Bowl. Atop Mowbray Ridge in Observatory, these two roads merge into a massive 9-lane highway (5 lanes northwards and 4 lanes southwards) and bend around the University of Cape Town Medical Campus and Groote Schuur Hospital before splitting at the bottom of the ridge, with the M3 running toward the University of Cape Town and the Southern Suburbs. This intersection, called Hospital Bend, was the scene of frequent bottlenecks and accidents due to the lack of pre-selection lanes. However, this stretch of road has been extensively upgraded and made safer.
After Hospital Bend, the N2 heads east as Settler's Way and forms the border between Observatory and Mowbray, intersecting the M4 Main Road (westbound only), M57 Liesbeek Parkway, M5 Black River Parkway, and Raapenberg Road. After leaving the Southern Suburbs, the N2 travels across the Cape Flats as a six-lane freeway towards Somerset West. It travels just past the southern end of the main runway at Cape Town International Airport and crosses the M7 and R300 highways (both of which link the N2 with Mitchells Plain in the south and Bellville and Brackenfell in the north).
After the R300, the N2 becomes a four-lane freeway, passing nearby Khayelitsha and Macassar. It enters the Helderberg region where it passes through Somerset West and ceases to be a freeway after the R44 intersection, which links the N2 with Stellenbosch and the Winelands in the north. Here it passes through several intersections with traffic lights, which cause frequent congestion. After Somerset West, it bypasses Strand, Gordon's Bay, and Sir Lowry's Pass Village.
Overberg After Sir Lowry's Pass Village, the N2 climbs Sir Lowry's Pass to enter the Overberg region. It passes near the town of Grabouw on the Hottentots-Holland plateau before descending the Houwhoek Pass to Botrivier. It then passes across the agricultural plains through the towns of Caledon, Riviersonderend, Swellendam and Riversdale to re-approach the coast at Mossel Bay, which marks the beginning of the Garden Route.
Garden Route Just west of Mossel Bay, the N2 again becomes a divided freeway, and remains one as far as the intersection with the N9/N12 just outside George. From there, it travels across Kaaiman's Pass to Wilderness and on to Knysna and Plettenberg Bay.
After Plettenberg Bay, a section of the road is tolled as the Tsitsikamma Toll Route, primarily because of the Bloukrans Bridge (crossing the Bloukrans River). An alternative route (part of the R102) used to run through Nature's Valley but this was closed in November 2007 after flood damage. The Bloukrans Bridge marks the border with the Eastern Cape.
Eastern Cape
Sunshine Coast Road After crossing the Bloukrans Bridge, the N2 becomes the Sunshine Coast Road, passing through the Southern edge of the Tsitsikamma Nature Reserve, and regains freeway status between Nompumelelo and Witsiebos.
It runs eastward as a two-lane single carriageway highway, bypassing the resort towns of Jeffreys Bay and St. Francis Bay, as well as the town of Humansdorp. It becomes a four-lane dual carriageway freeway at the Van Stadens Bridge, which marks its entrance into the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. It proceeds eastwards to the city of Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth).
Nelson Mandela Bay After the Van Stadens Bridge, the N2 meets the R102, which provides access to KwaNobuhle and Kariega (formerly Uitenhage) via the R334. It then enters Gqeberha as a four-lane dual carriageway freeway. It runs eastward past the suburbs of Kabega Park and Tulbargh before making a north-easterly turn just after the R102 Kragga Kamma Road/Cape Road intersection in More Grove.
It then bypasses the suburbs of Newton Park and Korsten before meeting the R75 at the Commercial Road Intersection, with the R75 linking to the Gqeberha city centre in the south and to Kariega and Graaff-Reinet in the north.
It then passes through northern Sidwell, intersecting the M8 Kempston Drive (which links with the New Brighton and KwaZakhele suburbs in the north), and the M4 Settlers Way Highway (which links the N2 with the CBD and Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport in the south and the industrial areas of Deal Party in the north).
The N2 then leaves the city of Gqeberha running northwards towards Colchester, adjacent to the Indian Ocean, first passing across the estuarine area of the Swartkops River before passing through Bluewater Bay. After Bluewater Bay, it meets the R335 (which provides access to Motherwell) and bypasses the Coega Special Economic Zone (SEZ), with a major intersection with Neptune Road linking the harbour with the N2. It loses freeway status after the R334 Addo South Gate intersection, and becomes a two-lane single-carriageway highway after passing through Colchester.
Colchester - Qonce After Colchester, the N2 leaves the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality and turns north-eastwards, meeting the southern terminus of the N10 (which heads northwards towards Middelburg) and the western terminus of the R72 (an alternative route to East London) before moving away from the coast towards Makhanda.
After passing around Grahamstown (also known as Makhanda) on a bypass, the N2 passes through the former Ciskei, including Peddie, to enter the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality.
Buffalo City (Qonce- East London) At Qonce (King William's Town) in Buffalo City, it meets the R63 and after several traffic-light intersections, the N2 turns east-south-east towards the coast, meeting it at East London.
The N2 becomes a four-lane dual carriageway road after leaving Qonce, and regains freeway status at the La Rochelle Street intersection in Berlin, just outside East London. It runs past Fort Jackson and the Mdantsane township. It then enters the city of East London as it passes to the north of Amalinda. After the M4 Amalinda Main Road intersection, it runs north of Vincent, intersecting the M1 Western Avenue (which links the CBD to the outlying rural areas situated along the Nahoon River). It then descends into the Nahoon River Valley, meeting the southern terminus of the N6 and the eastern terminus of the R72 after just crossing the Nahoon River.
The N2 then passes through Beacon Bay, partially intersecting the M8 Beacon Bay Road, and exits the city of East London before bypassing Gonubie to the north of the city. The N2 then becomes a two-lane single-carriageway highway after the R102/M10 Main Road intersection (Gonubie Interchange), which is also the proposed start of the Wild Coast Toll Road. It then continues as a freeway until shortly after the R102 Brakfontein intersection, after which it leaves the Buffalo City Metro.
Former Transkei After East London, the N2 turns again towards the interior in a northeasterly direction to avoid the difficult terrain of the Wild Coast. It passes through the former Transkei and its former capital, Mthatha, where it meets the R61 route (an alternative route to Port Shepstone). There are plans for the N2 to run as a four-lane dual carriageway highway from Viedgesville to the Ngqeleni Village turn off, bypassing Mthatha to the south, and then continuing eastwards on the R61, as part of the N2 Wild Coast Toll Road. After passing Mthatha, the N2 continues north-east through the towns of Qumbu, Mount Frere (KwaBhaca) and Mount Ayliff. Near Kokstad, the N2 climbs Brook's Nek to enter the province of KwaZulu-Natal.
KwaZulu-Natal
Brooks Nek - Port Shepstone The N2 enters KwaZulu-Natal atop Brooks Nek, after which it bypasses Kokstad to the south and meets the R56 from Matatiele. The N2 and the R56 are co-signed for eastwards until which the R56 splits from the N2 at Stafford's Post. The N2 then runs east-south-east past the rural towns of Harding and Izingolweni (eZinqoleni), to enter Port Shepstone from the west through its suburb of Marburg, meeting the eastern terminus of the R61 highway (an alternative route from Mthatha) at the Oribi Toll Plaza (Marburg Interchange). This interchange with the R61 is to be the eastern end of the N2 Wild Coast Toll Route from East London via Mthatha and Port Edward.
Port Shepstone - Durban (South Coast Highway) The N2 then turns to the north at the Oribi Toll Plaza to become the South Coast Highway (taking over from the R61), first running as a dual carriageway freeway for , then losing dual carriageway status after the Umtentweni off-ramp (where it ceases to be a toll road), before regaining dual carriageway status just after Hibberdene. It passes through the rural areas of Southern KwaZulu-Natal, with the rural towns of Mthwalume, Umzinto and Dududu, and the resort towns of Pennington, Park Rynie and Scottburgh lying to the west and east of the N2, respectively.
eThekwini Metropolitan Area (Durban)
The N2 enters the eThekwini Metropolitan Area south of Durban as a dual carriageway freeway just north of Scottburgh. It runs past the towns of Umkomaas (eMkhomazi) and Umgababa, before entering the built-up urban area of eThekwini at Kingsburgh and Amanzimtoti. It runs past Isipingo and the old Durban International Airport, before meeting the southern terminus of the M4 freeway at Umlazi; with the M4 providing access to the Durban CBD.
After the M4 interchange, the N2 runs as an eight-lane dual carriageway freeway around the city of Durban known as the Outer Ring Road, bypassing the suburbs of Mobeni, Chatsworth, Sarnia, Ridgeview and Chesterville, with the M1 Higginson Highway intersection and the M7 Solomon Mahlangu Drive interchange providing access to these suburbs as well as the town of Queensburgh.
After leaving Chesterville, the N2 meets the N3 highway at the EB Cloete Interchange (locally known as Spaghetti Junction) at Westville. It then passes through the suburbs of Clare Hills and Reservoir Hills, meeting the M19 Umgeni Drive at a large intersection just outside of Reservoir Hills.