Before September 2020, the R512 from the R560 interchange to the N4 interchange took a different route. effectively continuing the R512 northwards from the R560 interchange for 6 km as a dual carriageway over a section of the
Magaliesberg up to the next off-ramp junction just south of the R512 & N4 interchange (north of the old R512 & R104 split), where the R512 now becomes the road northwards towards Brits while the Pampoen Nek Pass continues westwards to join the N4 West. This new routing of the R512 effectively reduces the distance of the route from
Broederstroom to
Brits by 6 km.
Pampoen Nek Pass The
South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) constructed a shortcut for the R512 route, from its intersection with the
R560 route (north-west of
Broederstroom) northwards up to just north of where the R512 and the
R104 route split (west of
The Elephant Sanctuary of Hartbeespoort), where there is a ramp onto the
N4 Platinum Highway West, in a highway format. A company named Zutari was called on in 2008 to do a geotechnical analysis to determine the approximate quantity of suitable material in the dyke of the cutting followed by a slope stability analysis, with the project being launched in April 2017 by Aveng-Lobocom Joint Venture. It is meant to be a shortcut and to reduce the distance for travelers from the
Johannesburg Municipality and
Pretoria West using the R512 to either join the N4 Highway West to
Rustenburg &
Sun City or to go to
Brits. This route, known as the Pampoen Nek Highway, is 6 kilometres in length from the R560 interchange to the interchange where the R512 turns north towards Brits (6 kilometres shorter than the old Z-shaped route passing by
Kosmos Village, Damdoryn and the
Elephant Sanctuary). It cost
R377 million to build. ==References==