R55 road

The R55 is a north-south provincial route in South Africa that connects Pretoria with Sandton, and is also designated as the P66-1 and K71 (newly constructed dual carriageway sections) by the Gauteng Provincial Government.

Map of R55, South Africa

It passes Woodmead, Kyalami, Olievenhoutbosch, Heuweloord, Sunderland Ridge, Erasmia, Laudium, Claudius, West Park, the Daspoort Tunnel and Danville.

It connects with the M1, N14, and R80 highways.

Although parts of the road in Johannesburg were widened in 2005, other single-lane sections of the Route, especially in Centurion, were in a dangerous state, due to the high volumes of traffic and presence of heavy vehicles causing the road surface to deteriorate.

Renovation of a section in Centurion between the N14 and M10/Wierda Road intersection near Sunderland Ridge began in 2007, with construction largely completed by September 2010. The large Monavoni Circle was replaced with traffic lights, and a dual carriageway was built in this section, with surfaced shoulders to replace the existing narrow two-lane single carriageway.

Also, as a result of a fatal accident the existing N14 offramp from Centurion was converted into a four-way stop temporarily, and traffic lights were later installed.

Extension of the 4 lane dual-carriageway, to replace the section between the M10/Wierda Road intersection and Erasmia, a narrow two lane single carriageway, passing over the Hennops River, which was overloaded and had severely deteriorated, began in late 2010, and was largely completed by late 2012, along with the installation of lighting on the newly constructed sections, including the previously rebuilt section between Weirda Road and the N14. The remaining provincially maintained (existing) dual-carriageway stretch beyond Erasmia, and part of the municipally-owned section beyond Laudium to the Maunde Street entrance to Atteridgeville were rehabilitated in 2014.