[imagesource: Twitter / @CapeTownFreeway]

My condolences to anybody heading into the city this morning on the N1 this morning.

There you are, stoked it’s Friday and counting down the hours until freedom and you’re hit with gridlocked traffic.

Bright and early this morning, a multi-vehicle pile-up caused the temporary closure of the N1 highway.

In total, it’s estimated that there were 13 cars involved in a collision which started with a jackknifed truck.

City of Cape Town Traffic Services spokesperson Kevin Jacobs told News24 that the N1 inbound was initially closed at Mike Pienaar Boulevard, but was later reopened to motorists.

Video from the scene was also shared:

Traffic-monitoring accounts on Twitter have shared updates throughout the morning:

Cape Town – N1 Inbound (Update): MAJOR #CRASH at Plattekloof Road – ROAD CLOSED – exit at the R300 for alternative route options pic.twitter.com/qqk9opYlcs

— TrafficSA (@TrafficSA) May 20, 2022

Update: 299986: #Road_Closure due to Crash: N1 Inbound at Plattekloof, All lanes closed, Use Alternate Route. #ItCanWait pic.twitter.com/dk4qrhKgmu

— Cape Town FMS (@CapeTownFreeway) May 20, 2022

It appears the worst of the traffic is over but things are still a little backed up:

#Update: 299986: #Road_Closure due to Crash: N1 Inbound at Plattekloof, Use Alternative Route…#ItCanWait pic.twitter.com/doYune87aP

— Cape Town FMS (@CapeTownFreeway) May 20, 2022

If you need an excuse to duck out of the office early it’s worth a shot.

It’s unclear whether anybody had been injured in the pile-up.

To make matters worse for commuters, another early-morning accident closed two lanes of the N2 outbound between Robert Sobukwe and Airport Approach roads.

[source:news24]