N1 (South Africa)

National route N1
The N1 is indicated in red.
Route information
Maintained by SANRAL, Bakwena, City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality, and Western Cape Provincial Government. [2]
Length	1,936 km (1,203 mi)
Major junctions
South end	M62 in Cape Town
Major intersections	N2 in Cape Town N7 in Cape Town N12 near Beaufort West N12 at Three Sisters N10 at Hanover N9 at Colesberg N6 in Bloemfontein N8 in Bloemfontein N5 at Winburg N12 near Soweto N3 near Sandton N14 in Centurion N4 in Pretoria N11 near Mokopane
North end	A4A6 A4/A6 at the Zimbabwean border at Beit Bridge
Location
Country	South Africa
Provinces	Western Cape Northern Cape Free State Gauteng Limpopo
Major cities	Cape Town Paarl Worcester Laingsburg Beaufort West Colesberg Bloemfontein Kroonstad Johannesburg Pretoria Bela-Bela Modimolle Mokopane Polokwane Louis Trichardt Musina
Highway system
Numbered routes of South Africa
← R730 → N2

The N1 is a national route in South Africa that runs from Cape Town through Bloemfontein, Johannesburg, Pretoria and Polokwane to Beit Bridge on the border with Zimbabwe.[1] It forms the first section of the famed Cape to Cairo Road.

Prior to 1970, the N1 designation was applied to the route from Beit Bridge to Colesberg and then along the current N9 to George. The section from Cape Town to Colesberg was designated the N9.[2]

N1 freeway as it enters Cape Town N1 near De Doorns atop Hex River Pass A view over the terminus of the N1 in downtown Cape Town where both the N1 and N2 national highways merge into Nelson Mandela Boulevard (left) and its intersection with Walter Sisulu Avenue (right).

The N1 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 N1 is shared with the beginning of the N2;[1] 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 N1 turns east as Table Bay Boulevard, passing the Ysterplaat Air Force Base and Century City before the N7 intersects it on its own way out of the city towards Namibia.[1]

Major improvements have been made to the Koeberg Interchange, where the N1 meets the M5, one of the main arterial routes linking Milnerton with the Southern Suburbs.[3] The N1 then heads through the suburbs of Goodwood and Bellville, where the R300 terminates at it, before heading towards Paarl.[1]

Within the City of Cape Town the volume of two-way traffic ranges between 95,000 and 120,000 vehicles a day.[4][when?] During week days during peak traffic times (inbound towards the Cape Town city bowl in the morning and outbound in the afternoon) traffic jams extending up to 12 kilometers in length are common.[4]

At Paarl, the freeway ends, and the N1 is tolled as it passes through the Huguenot Tunnel running underneath the Du Toitskloof Mountains;[1] the tunnel was opened in the late 1980s to replace the old Du Toitskloof Pass (now designated as part of the R101) running over the mountain. Traffic volumes through the tunnel range from an average of 12,000 vehicles daily[5] with up to 22,500 vehicles using it daily in peak periods on holidays.[6]

After emerging from the tunnel, the N1 winds through the Molenaar River Valley (which is a short dual carriageway section) before emerging from the valley and heading towards Worcester, bypassing Rawsonville. From Worcester, the route heads through the Hex River Valley, passing De Doorns and then enters the Karoo by ascending the Hex River Pass en route to Touws River.[1]

Currently only the section of the N1 passing through the Huguenot Tunnel is tolled, although there were formerly plans to toll the N1 from the junction with the R300, roughly to De Doorns.[7][8] This would have allowed for upgrading of the N1, most especially the opening and construction of the Northern Bore of the Huguenot Tunnel so that two lanes of traffic could pass in each direction through the tunnel, and the building of grade separated junctions along the N1 through Worcester. Although the town centre is bypassed, there are a number of traffic lights on the N1 through Worcester.[8]

From the top of the pass, the N1 passes Touws River and Matjiesfontein before passing through Laingsburg, then heads towards Beaufort West, passing the towns of Prince Albert Road and Leeu-Gamka.[1] The 200 km section between Laingsburg and Beaufort West is notorious for claiming many lives in fatigue-related accidents;[9][10] also, the N1 begins to turn towards the north-east along this stretch of road. Just before Beaufort West, the N12 from George meets the N1; the N12 and the N1 routes are co-signed through Beaufort West and for the next 75 km north-east before splitting at Three Sisters.[1] The N12 later meets the N1 again in Johannesburg, making the N12 an alternative route to the N1, passing through Kimberley as opposed to Bloemfontein. The N1 from Bloemfontein onwards is tolled while the N12 is toll-free. Whereas the N12 passes through most of the towns en route to Johannesburg, the N1 bypasses every town between Beaufort West and Johannesburg (avoiding town centres).

The N1 briefly crosses into the Northern Cape at Three Sisters for a few kilometres before crossing back into the Western Cape, and remains in the Western Cape until just after its intersection with the R63, where it re-enters the Northern Cape.[1]

The N1 has a short section in the Northern Cape. After re-entering the Northern Cape, it passes north-east past the town of Richmond before intersecting with the N10 at Hanover. The N1 then continues towards Colesberg, where it meets the northern terminus of the N9 just south-west of the town. Approximately 35 km after Colesberg, the N1 crosses the Orange River and enters the Free State.[1]

After the Orange River crossing, the N1 makes a direct line for Bloemfontein, passing the towns of Springfontein, Trompsburg and Edenburg, heading in a more northerly direction.[1] Upon entering Bloemfontein, the N1 meets the northern terminus of the N6 from East London. This intersection marks the beginning of the Bloemfontein Western Bypass, which is the first freeway section on the route since Paarl. The N8 from Kimberley in the west intersects with the N1 bypass, joining it for 3 km, before heading east through the Bloemfontein CBD and then to Maseru in Lesotho.[1]

A road sign on the N1 in Bloemfontein before the N8 interchange

The N1 is designated as a toll road from the N6 interchange until its end at Beit Bridge. A few kilometres north of Bloemfontein, the N1 meets the R30 to Brandfort; the N1 continues as a single carriageway but with two lanes in each direction until 5 km before the toll plaza at Verkeerdevlei, halfway between Bloemfontein and Winburg. Initial plans[citation needed] were for the N1 from Bloemfontein to Winburg to be a dual-carriageway freeway. At Winburg, the N1 bypasses the town to the west and meets the western terminus of the N5, which connects with Senekal, Bethlehem and Harrismith.[1]

The N1 northbound as it enters Ventersburg (2015)

The N1 continues north and bypasses Ventersburg before reaching Kroonstad. There, the R34 from Welkom joins the N1 freeway for 9 kilometres, bypassing Kroonstad Central to the east, before splitting from the N1 and making its own way towards Heilbron.[1]

After Kroonstad, the N1 heads towards the Vaal River and Gauteng as the Kroonvaal Toll Route. Just before passing into Gauteng at the Vaal River, the N1 features another toll plaza (the Vaal Toll Plaza) just south of its interchange with the R59 road, which provides access to the Vaal Triangle (Vereeniging and Sasolburg) in the east and Parys in the west.[1]

After crossing the Vaal River, the N1 continues towards Johannesburg, bypassing Vanderbijlpark and featuring another toll plaza at Grasmere. At the Misgund Interchange in the southern outskirts of Johannesburg, the N12 once again meets the N1, and they are co-signed northwards as one highway for 4 kilometers (bypassing Soweto) up to the Diepkloof Interchange, where the N12 splits off eastwards to become the Southern Bypass portion of the Johannesburg Ring Road.[1] From just north of the Vaal River the N1 changes from being a tarred road to a concrete road, until just after meeting the N12.

Road sign at the R553 Golden Highway off-ramp before the Diepkloof Interchange

The N1 then becomes the Western Bypass portion of the same ring road, passing through Johannesburg's western and north-western suburbs (forming Roodepoort's eastern boundary and passing through Randburg) before bending east and meeting the northern termini of the N3 (the Eastern Bypass portion of the Johannesburg Ring Road, which connects to Durban) and Johannesburg's own M1 freeway at the Buccleuch Interchange north-east of Sandton.[1]

The N1 between Johannesburg and Pretoria as part of the Ben Schoeman Highway (2011).

The N1 then becomes the Ben Schoeman Highway, heading northwards towards Pretoria (passing through Midrand); this section carries 160,000 vehicles per day as of 2011[11] and is purported to be the busiest stretch of road in South Africa.[12] At the Brakfontein Interchange in Centurion, the N1 meets the N14 and they switch highways, with the N14 becoming the Ben Schoeman Highway northwards to Pretoria Central and the N1 becoming the Pretoria Eastern Bypass (named the Danie Joubert Freeway) towards the north-east, proceeding to intersect with the R21 highway coming from O. R. Tambo International Airport at the Flying Saucer Interchange before Pretoria East.[1] After the R21 interchange, the N1 proceeds in a more northerly direction through the eastern suburbs. East of Pretoria CBD, at the Proefplaas Interchange, the N4 national route from Witbank in the east joins the N1 and they are one highway for 12 km northwards before the N4 splits off to the west to become the Platinum Highway (Pretoria Northern Bypass) towards Brits and Rustenburg.[1] At this interchange with the Platinum Highway (N4) is the Pumulani Toll Plaza on the N1 north and the Doornpoort Toll Plaza on the N4 west.

From the interchange with the N4 Platinum Highway, the N1 is tolled for the remainder of its length, with various toll plazas located along it (including upon off-ramps and on-ramps). The N1 heads to the north, bypassing Hammanskraal, and crosses into the Limpopo province.[1]

The N1 then passes near Bela-Bela (previously Warmbaths) and Modimolle (previously Nylstroom).[1] At the Modimolle exit, the freeway ends; the section of freeway between the Vaal River and Modimolle is the longest freeway in South Africa by route number at approximately 265 km (although there are two changes in the alignment of freeway in Gauteng, at the Buccleuch and Brakfontein Interchanges; South Africa's longest continuous freeway is the N3 between Durban and Ladysmith, which is approximately 20 km shorter). The section from the Proefplaas Interchange in Pretoria to the R516 Bela Bela exit is maintained by a private concessionaire, namely Bakwena,[13][14] under license from SANRAL.

The N1 then heads past Mokopane (previously Potgietersrus), where the N11 intersects it at the Nyl Toll Plaza (north off-ramp only) (leaving the N18 and the N17 as the only national roads that do not intersect with the N1), before heading to Polokwane (previously known as Pietersburg).[1] The Polokwane Eastern Bypass is now used by traffic to loop around the Polokwane city centre (the N1 is no-longer the road passing through the city centre).[15]

After Polokwane, the N1 heads north, crossing the Tropic of Capricorn before passing Louis Trichardt. The N1 then winds through the Soutpansberg Mountains (containing two short tunnels) as the Wyllie's Poort Pass before heading to Musina (passing the last tollgate before Musina).[1] The Musina Western Bypass is now used by traffic to bypass the CBD to the west[16][17] (The N1 is no-longer the road passing through the town centre). The route then continues for 12 km to end at the Beitbridge border crossing with Zimbabwe on the Limpopo River, where it crosses the river as the Alfred Beit Road Bridge before splitting into two routes, which are the A4 road to Harare and the A6 road to Bulawayo. The border town on the other side of the Limpopo River is also called Beitbridge.

Municipality	Location	km	mi	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Cape Town	Cape Town CBD	0	0	—	M62 Buitengracht Street, Walter Sisulu Avenue	At-grade intersection
		0	0	—	CTICC P1 Parking	No westbound entrance
		0	0	—	N2 Nelson Mandela Boulevard, Cape Town International	Eastbound exit only
		0	0	1	M60 Christiaan Barnard Street, CTICC, Cape Town	Westbound exit, eastbound entrance
	Woodstock	0	0	3	M176 Lower Church Street
	Paarden Eiland	0	0	4	R27 Marine Drive, Milnerton, Table View
	Brooklyn	0	0	7A	M5 Black River Parkway, Muizenberg, Maitland
		0	0	7B	M5 Koeberg Road, Section Street, Milnerton
	Century City	0	0	10	Sable Road
		0	0	—	Century City Drive	Eastbound exit and entrance
	Summer Greens	0	0	13A	N7 north, Malmesbury
		0	0	13B	N7 south, M7 Jakes Gerwel Drive, Goodwood
	Monte Vista	0	0	15	M26 Monte Vista Boulevard
	Parow	0	0	16	M12 Giel Basson Drive, Cape Town International	Westbound exit, eastbound entrance
		0	0	18	M14 McIntyre Road, Plattekloof Road
	Bellville	0	0	20	M16 Mike Pienaar Boulevard, Jip de Jager Avenue
		0	0	23	R302 Durban Road, W van Schoor Avenue
		0	0	25	M31 Old Oak Road	No westbound exit
	Brackenfell	0	0	27	R300 Kuils River Road, Mitchells Plain
		0	0	28	M100 Brackenfell Boulevard	Westbound exit, eastbound entrance
		0	0	29	M137 Okavango Road
	Kraaifontein	0	0	32	M15 Brighton Road, Van Riebeeck Road
		0	0	34	M167 Maroela Road, Lucullus Street, Kraaifontein Industria
Stellenbosch	Cape Winelands	0	0	39	R304, Klipheuwel, Stellenbosch
	Klapmuts	0	0	47	R44, R101, Stellenbosch, Klapmuts, Wellington
Drakenstein	Paarl	0	0	55	R45, R101 Main Road, Franschhoek
		0	0	57	Cecilia Street, R45, R101	Eastbound exit, westbound entrance
		0	0	59	R301 Jan Van Riebeeck Drive, Wellington
		0	0	62A	Sonstraal Road, R101 Langenhoven Avenue, Worcester	Signed as exit 62 westbound
		0	0	62B	R101 Langenhoven Avenue	Eastbound exit only; Truck exit before tunnel
		0	0	SANRAL Huguenot Toll Plaza, Huguenot Tunnel
	Du Toitskloof Pass	0	0	72	R101, Paarl	Westbound exit, eastbound entrance; Western end of concurrency with R101
Breede Valley	Rawsonville	0	0	—	R101 Old N1 Road east, Rawsonville	At-grade intersection; Eastern end of concurrency with R101
		0	0	—	R101 Old N1 Road west, Rawsonville	At-grade intersection
	Worcester	0	0	—	R43, Ceres	At-grade intersection; Western end of concurrency with R43
		0	0	108	R43, Worcester	Eastern end of concurrency with R43
		0	0	—	R60, Worcester, Robertson	At-grade intersection
	Touws River	0	0	—	R318, Montagu	At-grade intersection
		0	0	—	R46, Ceres	At-grade intersection
Laingsburg	Matjiesfontein	0	0	—	R354, Sutherland, Matjiesfontein	At-grade intersection
	Laingsburg	0	0	—	R323 Van Riebeeck Street, Ladismith	At-grade intersection
Prince Albert	Prince Albert	0	0	—	R407, Prince Albert	At-grade intersection
		0	0	—	R353, Prince Albert	At-grade intersection; Western end of concurrency with R353
	Leeu-Gamka	0	0	—	R353, Fraserburg, Leeu-Gamka	At-grade intersection; Eastern end of concurrency with R353
Beaufort West	Beaufort West	0	0	—	N12, Oudtshoorn	At-grade intersection; Western end of concurrency with N12
		0	0	—	R61 Voortrekker Street, Beaufort West, Aberdeen	At-grade intersection
		0	0	—	R381, Loxton	At-grade intersection
Ubuntu (Northern Cape)	Three Sisters	0	0	—	N12, Victoria West	At-grade intersection; Eastern end of concurrency with N12; Formerly exit 538
Beaufort West	Murraysburg	0	0	—	R63, Murraysburg	At-grade intersection; Formerly exit 580
N1 continues into Northern Cape

Municipality	Location	km	mi	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Ubuntu	Richmond	0	0	—	R388, Richmond, R398, Merriman	At-grade intersection; Western end of concurrency with R398
		0	0	—	R398, Middelburg	At-grade intersection; Eastern end of concurrency with R398
Emthanjeni	Hanover	0	0	—	N10, Middelburg, De Aar	Quadrant interchange
		0	0	—	R389, Philipstown	At-grade intersection; Western end of concurrency with R389
		0	0	—	R389, Noupoort	At-grade intersection; Eastern end of concurrency with R389
Umsobomvu	Colesberg	0	0	795A	N9, Sluiters Street, Colesberg	Signed as exit 795 eastbound
		0	0	795B	N9, Noupoort	Westbound exit, eastbound entrance
		0	0	798	R717, Philippolis, R58, Venterstad, R369, Petrusville
N1 continues into Free State

Municipality	Location	km	mi	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Kopanong	Gariep Dam	0	0	8	R701, Gariep Dam, Bethulie
		0	0	21	Ruigtevlei, Driekuil
	Springfontein	0	0	—	R715, Springfontein, Bethulie	At-grade intersection
	Trompsburg	0	0	75	R704, Trompsburg, Smithfield
		0	0	84	Stofkraal, Kruger
	Edenburg	0	0	105	Courland, Meadows
		0	0	113	R717, Edenburg, Reddersburg
	Reddersburg	0	0	128	Wurasoord, Reddersburg
		0	0	148	Sophiasdal, Tierpoort
Mangaung	Bloemfontein	0	0	153	Koppieskraal, Riversford
		0	0	167	Onze Rust, Kaalspruit
		0	0	177	N6, M30 Church Street, Mangaung
		0	0	181	R706 Curie Avenue, Jagersfontein
		0	0	186	N8 west, M19 Walter Sisulu Road	Southern end of concurrency with N8
		0	0	190	N8 east, R64 Nelson Mandela Drive, Bram Fischer International	Northern end of concurrency with N8
		0	0	198	R700 Kenneth Kaunda Road, Bultfontein
		0	0	202	M30 Raymond Mhlaba Street, Mangaung, Bram Fischer International	Westbound exit, eastbound entrance
		0	0	205	Avenham, Floradale
		0	0	208	R30, Brandfort	Eastbound exit, westbound entrance
		0	0	213	Maselspoort, Glen
Masilonyana	Brandfort	0	0	222	Witfontein, Welgegund
		0	0	SANRAL Verkeerdevlei Toll Plaza
		0	0	255	R703, Verkeerdevlei, Excelsior, Brandfort	At-grade intersection
	Winburg	0	0	293	Winburg, Excelsior, Brandfort
		0	0	298	N5, R708, Senekal, Theunissen
		0	0	—	R73, Virginia	At-grade intersection
Matjhabeng	Ventersburg	0	0	346	Pienaar Street, Ventersburg	Eastbound exit, westbound entrance
		0	0	347	R70, Ventersburg, Hennenman, Senekal	Westbound exit, eastbound entrance
Moqhaka	Kroonstad	0	0	371	Wonderkop, Holfontein
		0	0	393	R34, Odendaalsrus, Welkom	No westbound entrance; Southern end of concurrency with R34
		0	0	394A	R76 South Road north, Kroonstad	Signed as exit 394 westbound
		0	0	394B	R76 South Road south, Bethlehem	Eastbound exit only
		0	0	398	Reitz Street, Kroonstad Central, Doornkloof, Kroonstad Airport
		0	0	402	R721, R34 North Road, Vredefort, Heilbron	Northern end of concurrency with R34
Ngwathe	Edenville	0	0	426	Heuningspruit, Fraaiuitzicht
	Koppies	0	0	446	Rooiwal, Vredefort
		0	0	458	R720, Koppies, Vredefort
	Vredefort	0	0	472	R723, Heilbron, Vredefort
	Parys	0	0	SANRAL Vaal Toll Plaza
		0	0	498	R59, Sasolburg, Parys
N1 continues into Gauteng

Municipality	Location	km	mi	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Emfuleni	Vanderbijlpark	0	0	3	R42, Vanderbijlpark, Vereeniging	Northbound exit, southbound entrance
		0	0	9	Potchefstroom Road, Vanderbijlpark, Potchefstroom
		0	0	20	R57, Vanderbijlpark, Sasolburg, Vereeniging	Southbound exit, northbound entrance
	Sebokeng	0	0	31	R28 Randfontein Road, Sebokeng, Randfontein
Johannesburg	Ennerdale	0	0	46	R558 Ennerdale Road, Walkerville, Ennerdale	Tolled exit
		0	0	SANRAL Grasmere Toll Plaza
	Soweto	0	0	60	N12 Moroka Bypass, Potchefstroom, Kimberley	Southbound exit, northbound entrance; Southern end of concurrency with N12
		0	0	64	R553 Golden Highway, Soweto, Johannesburg South
	Diepkloof	0	0	67	N12 Southern Bypass, M79 Rand Show Road, O. R. Tambo International, eMalahleni	Northern end of concurrency with N12
		0	0	69	M70 Soweto Highway, Diepkloof, Nasrec	Northbound exit only
		0	0	71	N17, Soweto, Nasrec	Southbound exit only
	Roodepoort	0	0	75	R24 Albertina Sisulu Road, Bosmont, Roodepoort
		0	0	78	Gordon Road, Florida
		0	0	80	M8 14th Avenue, Northcliff
	Randburg	0	0	85	M5 Beyers Naude Drive, Honeydew, Northcliff
		0	0	90	R512 Malibongwe Drive, Lanseria International, Strydompark
	Sandton	0	0	95	R511 Winnie Mandela Drive, Fourways, Bryanston
		0	0	100	R564 Witkoppen Road, M9 Rivonia Road, Fourways, Sunninghill
		0	0	104A	Continue on N1, Roodepoort, Pretoria	Signed as exit 104 southbound
		0	0	104B	M1 Ben Schoeman Freeway, Johannesburg, N3 Eastern Bypass, Germiston
	Midrand	0	0	108	M39 Allandale Road, Grand Central Airport, Kyalami, Kempton Park
		0	0	111	M71 New Road, Crowthorne, Grand Central Airport
		0	0	115	R562 Olifantsfontein Road, Noordwyk
Tshwane	Centurion	0	0	118A	M36 Samrand Road, Kosmosdal
		0	0	118B	Ultra City Service Area
		0	0	121A	R101 Old Johannesburg Road north, Rooihuiskraal	Signed as Exit 121B southbound
		0	0	121B	R101 Old Johannesburg Road south, Brakfontein Road, Midrand	Signed as Exit 121A southbound
		0	0	124A	Continue on N1, Johannesburg	Signed as exit 124 northbound
		0	0	124B	N14, Pretoria, Krugersdorp
		0	0	128	M19 John Vorster Drive, Witch-Hazel Avenue, Highveld
		0	0	130	M18 Botha Avenue, Irene, Lyttelton
		0	0	134	R21, Kempton Park, O. R. Tambo International, Pretoria
	Pretoria	0	0	136	R50 Rigel Avenue, M9, Delmas, Erasmusrand
		0	0	139	M30 Garsfontein Road, Waterkloof, Brooklyn	Northbound exit only
		0	0	140	M11 Atterbury Road, Menlo Park, Menlyn
		0	0	141	M6 Lynnwood Road, Mering Naude Road, Lynnwood
		0	0	145	M2, Pretoria, N4, eMalahleni	Southern end of concurrency with N4
		0	0	148	M8 Stormvoël Road, Mamelodi, Gezina	Tolled northbound exit and southbound entrance
		0	0	152	R513 Sefako Makgatho Drive, Cullinan, Pretoria North	Tolled northbound exit and southbound entrance; Diverging diamond interchange
		0	0	156	N4, Rustenburg, Wonderboom National	Tolled exit; Northern end of concurrency with N4
		0	0	SANRAL Pumulani Toll Plaza
	Soshanguve	0	0	163	R101 Old Warmbaths Road, Pyramid, Wallmannsthal
		0	0	172	R101 Old Warmbaths Road, Petronella, Murrayhill
	Hammanskraal	0	0	183	R734, Hammanskraal, Boekenhoutskloof	Tolled northbound exit and southbound entrance
		0	0	192	Carousel Hotel	Closed exit; Northbound exit only
		0	0	SANRAL Carousel Toll Plaza
N1 continues into Limpopo

Municipality	Location	km	mi	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Bela-Bela	Pienaarsrivier	0	0	196	R101, Maubane
		0	0	205	R101, Pienaarsrivier, Rust de Winter
	Bela-Bela	0	0	224	R576, Settlers, Codrington
		0	0	238	R516, Settlers, Bela-Bela
Modimolle-Mookgophong	Modimolle	0	0	SANRAL Kranskop Toll Plaza
		0	0	—	R33, Marble Hall, Modimolle	Northbound exit, southbound entrance
		0	0	273	R101, Modimolle, Pretoria	Southbound exit, northbound entrance
	Mookgophong	0	0	289	R101, Mookgophong, Polokwane	Northbound exit, southbound entrance
		0	0	300	R101, Mookgophong	Southbound exit, northbound entrance
Mogalakwena	Mokopane	0	0	SANRAL Nyl Toll Plaza
		0	0	—	N11, Marble Hall, R101, Mokopane	Northbound exit, southbound entrance
		0	0	—	R518, Mokopane, Zebediela	Truck exit; Part of Mokopane Traffic Control Centre
		0	0	352	R101, Mokopane, Marble Hall	Southbound exit, northbound entrance; Tolled exit
Polokwane	Polokwane	0	0	396	R101 Thabo Mbeki Street, Polokwane, Mokopane
		0	0	400	R37 Church Street, Polokwane, Mashishing
		0	0	402	Dorp Street, Silicon Road
		0	0	408	R71 Grobler Street, R81 Munnik Avenue, Giyani, Tzaneen	Signed as exit 410 southbound
		0	0	416	R101 Landdros Mare Street, Polokwane	No southbound entrance
Makhado	Bandelierkop	0	0	SANRAL Capricorn Toll Plaza
		0	0	—	R36, Morebeng	At-grade intersection
	Louis Trichardt	0	0	—	R578, Elim, Giyani	At-grade traffic circle
		0	0	—	R522 Rissik Street, Louis Trichardt, Vivo	At-grade intersection
		0	0	—	R524 Songozwi Street, Thohoyandou	At-grade intersection
		0	0	Hendrik Verwoerd Tunnels
		0	0	—	R523, Waterpoort	At-grade intersection
Musina	Musina	0	0	SANRAL Baobab Toll Plaza
		0	0	—	R525, Tshipise	At-grade intersection
		0	0	604	Old National Road, Musina
		0	0	610	R572 Old National Road, Musina
	Beitbridge	0	0	Beitbridge Border Post; Alfred Beit Road Bridge
N1 ends; A4 A6 A4/A6 continues into Zimbabwe

The section of the N1 from Cape Town to the split with the N12 national route at Three Sisters, Northern Cape is declared part of the Trans-African Highway Network no. 4 or Cairo-Cape Town Highway, which is the route designated by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa between Cairo and Cape Town. (The route continues as the N12 northwards from Three Sisters.)

A section of dual-carriageway freeway on the N1 near Vanderbijlpark in Gauteng (2008)

In numerous places in South Africa, specifically near major cities, the N1 route has been rebuilt to freeway standards. The original routes usually carry the designation of R101 and are often alternative routes to the newer, sometimes tolled, highways. Two examples are the R101 over Du Toitskloof Pass, where the new N1 highway bypasses the pass altogether by use of the Huguenot Tunnel, and the R101 through Polokwane Central, where the new N1 highway bypasses the city centre by use of the Polokwane Eastern Bypass.

There are exceptions to the usual R101 alternative route designation:

• The old N1 route from Colesberg to Bloemfontein is designated R717 up until Reddersburg, where it's designated N6 to Bloemfontein.[2]
• The old N1 route through Bloemfontein is designated as the M30.
• Between Bloemfontein and Winburg, the old route is designated firstly as the R30 between Bloemfontein and Brandfort and then is not designated to Winburg.[2]
• Between Kroonstad and Parys, the old route is designated firstly as the R721 from Kroonstad to Vredefort and then as the R59 through Parys to the interchange with the N1 at the Vaal Toll Plaza, approximately 10 km south of the Vaal River.[2]
• Between the Vaal River and Johannesburg, several alternative routes exist, the official alternative route being via the Golden Highway (R553). The old N1 route however followed the designation of the R42 through Vanderbijlpark to Vereeniging, and then the R82 leading to Johannesburg's M1 freeway.[2] The M1 as well as Old Pretoria Road and Louis Botha Avenue (together designated as the M11 road) provide the alternative route through Johannesburg; near the Buccleuch Interchange (the point where the N1, M1 and N3 converge), the M11 becomes the R101, providing the alternative route through to Polokwane via Midrand, Centurion, Pretoria, Bela-Bela, Modimolle & Mokopane.

The list below only includes mainline toll plazas; ramp toll plazas have not been included.

Name	Location	Toll fees (as of 1 March 2020)[18]
		Light vehicle	Heavy vehicle (2 axles)	Heavy vehicle (3/4 axles)	Heavy vehicle (5+ axles)
Huguenot Toll Plaza	Paarl 33°44′34″S 19°01′11″E / 33.74278°S 19.01972°E / -33.74278; 19.01972 (Huguenot Toll Plaza)	R41.50	R115.00	R179.00	R290.00
Verkeerdevlei Toll Plaza	near Verkeerdevlei 28°47′56″S 26°41′26″E / 28.79889°S 26.69056°E / -28.79889; 26.69056 (Verkeerdevlei Toll Plaza)	R59.50	R119.00	R179.00	R251.00
Vaal Toll Plaza	near Parys 26°51′23″S 27°38′07″E / 26.85639°S 27.63528°E / -26.85639; 27.63528 (KroonVaal Toll Plaza)	R69.50	R130.00	R157.00	R209.00
Grasmere Toll Plaza	Lenasia 26°24′41″S 27°53′03″E / 26.41139°S 27.88417°E / -26.41139; 27.88417 (Grasmere Toll Plaza)	R21.00	R62.00	R73.00	R96.00
Pumulani Toll Plaza	N4 exit to Rustenburg 25°38′22″S 28°16′32″E / 25.63944°S 28.27556°E / -25.63944; 28.27556 (Pumulani Toll Plaza)	R12.50	R31.00	R36.00	R44.00
Carousel Toll Plaza	between Pretoria and Bela Bela 25°19′22″S 28°17′52″E / 25.32278°S 28.29778°E / -25.32278; 28.29778 (Carousel Toll Plaza)	R58.00	R155.00	R171.00	R198.00
Kranskop Toll Plaza	between Bela Bela and Modimolle 24°46′54″S 28°28′17″E / 24.78167°S 28.47139°E / -24.78167; 28.47139 (Kranskop Toll Plaza)	R46.50	R119.00	R159.00	R195.00
Nyl Toll Plaza	between Modimolle and Polokwane 24°17′23″S 28°58′44″E / 24.28972°S 28.97889°E / -24.28972; 28.97889 (Nyl Toll Plaza)	R60.50	R113.00	R137.00	R183.00
Capricorn Toll Plaza	between Polokwane and Louis Trichardt 23°22′01″S 29°46′30″E / 23.36694°S 29.77500°E / -23.36694; 29.77500 (Capricorn Toll Plaza)	R48.50	R133.00	R155.00	R195.00
Baobab Toll Plaza	between Louis Trichardt and Musina 22°38′49″S 29°55′07″E / 22.64694°S 29.91861°E / -22.64694; 29.91861 (Baobab Toll Plaza)	R47.00	R128.00	R176.00	R211.00

An e-toll gantry on the N1 northbound near Lynnwood, Pretoria.

As a result of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project, the section of the N1 from the R553 Golden Highway off-ramp in-between the Misgund and Diepkloof interchanges in Soweto to the Proefplaas Interchange with the N4 in Pretoria East was effectively declared an e-toll highway (with open road tolling) from 3 December 2013 onwards.[19]

The South African government announced on 28 March 2024[20] that e-tolls in Gauteng would officially be shut down on 11 April 2024 at midnight.[21][22] As a result of the e-toll discontinuation, this section of the N1 (which includes the Johannesburg Western Bypass, part of the Ben Schoeman Freeway and part of the Pretoria Eastern Bypass) became toll-free.[21][22]

• National Roads Agency SA