The South African National Roads Agency’s upgrade of the N3 passing through Pietermaritzburg in KZN achieved a key milestone last night with the demolition of Cleland Bridge.

At 18:00, Base Major Construction, the company awarded the upgrade contract, closed the N3 in preparation for the demolition.

In a carefully engineered operation, within 30 minutes of the national road being closed, the bridge spanning both carriageways was demolished using heavy machinery.

Base Major Construction project managers Luka Engelbrecht and Justin Kumkurren said the demolition was a huge success due to the careful planning that went into the project.

The company thanked KZN Road Traffic Inspectorate, SAPS, Msunduzi and Ashburton Fire and Rescue, Mi7 Security, KZN Private Ambulance and several other private service providers for their support in last night’s demolition.

The N3 was expected to re-open at 06:00 today, following a major clearing operation that was already underway last night.