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| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by SANRAL and GDRT | ||||
| Length | 67.6 km (42.0 mi) | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| North end |    M5 / M7 / M18 in Pretoria | |||
 N1 in Centurion R25 near Tembisa R23 near Kempton Park R24 at OR Tambo Int'l N12 near Boksburg R29 in Boksburg N17 near Boksburg | ||||
| South end |  N3 at Vosloorus | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | South Africa | |||
| Provinces | Gauteng | |||
| Major cities | ||||
| Highway system | ||||
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The R21 is a major north–south provincial route (with a freeway portion designated as a National Road) in eastern Gauteng Province, South Africa.[1][2] Built in the early 1970s, it remains one of two freeways (the other being the N1) linking Pretoria with Johannesburg, via the R24. As the eastern of the two freeways, it links the Pretoria city centre with OR Tambo International Airport and Boksburg.[2] Between the Solomon Mahlangu Drive on-ramp in Monument Park, Pretoria, and the N12 interchange in Boksburg, the R21 is an 8 lane highway and motorway (freeway), with 4 lanes in each direction.[3] It has off-ramps leading to Irene, Olifantsfontein, Benoni, and Kempton Park. The route intersects the N1 highway (Eastern Pretoria Bypass; Danie Joubert Freeway) near Centurion, the R24 near the airport, the N12 and N17 in Boksburg, and the N3 near Vosloorus on the East Rand, where it ends. The section from the N12 to the N3 is not a freeway.[2] The R21 is also designated as the P157.[1]
The R21 is the lowest "R" designated route number in South Africa.[2] The portion of the R21 where it exists as a freeway, from the M10 Solomon Mahlangu Drive off-ramp in Pretoria to the N12 Freeway in the East Rand was declared a National Road in 2008, as part of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project,[4] when it was also transferred to the South African National Roads Agency.[4] The improvement project increased the number of lanes (previously, the freeway portion had been a dual carriageway freeway, with 2 lanes in each direction, from the Rietfontein Interchange to Pretoria), and installed lighting along the length of the freeway section.
As a result of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project, the freeway section of the R21 was effectively declared as an e-toll highway (with open road tolling) from 3 December 2013 onwards.[5] The South African government announced on 28 March 2024[6] that e-tolls in Gauteng would officially be shut down on 11 April 2024 at midnight,[7][8] therefore returning the R21 to being a toll-free route.
- ^ a b "Page redirection". www.info.gov.za. Archived from the original on 2 March 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2022. [dead link]
- ^ a b c d "RDDA SOUTH AFRICAN NUMBERED ROUTE DESCRIPTION AND DESTINATION ANALYSIS". NATIONAL DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT. May 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
- ^ Pringle, Chanel (26 March 2010). "Esorfranki aims to complete R21 upgrade near airport by May 28". Engineering News. Archived from the original on 28 March 2010.
- ^ a b "National Council of Provinces for Written Reply: Question No. 67". Parliament of the Republic of South Africa. 2012. Archived from the original (DOC) on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
- ^ "E-tolls going live in Gauteng". fin24.com. 20 November 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
- ^ Fraser, Luke (28 March 2024). "E-tolls to officially end next month". BusinessTech. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ South African Government ends e-tolls in Gauteng press release published 28th of March 2024, retrieved and archived 5th of April 2024 [1]
- ^ Njilo, Nonkululeko (10 April 2024). "Gauteng set to finally end e-tolls, overdue fees remain". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 12 April 2024.