Low Bridge Map — South Africa

There are 801 recorded height restrictions on roads in South Africa — bridges, tunnels, underpasses and height barriers. The lowest clearance a road vehicle could pass is 2.00 m — anything tagged lower is a gate or a barrier — and 111 restrictions are under 2.5 m. This map shows all of them, and the data behind it is rebuilt every week.

Updated September 6, 2026
801Restrictions
111under 2.5 m
2.00 mLowest
294height unknown

Where to stop in South Africa

The map

Loading the map…
under 2.5 m2.5–3.2 m3.2–4.0 mover 4.0 mheight unknown

The lowest clearances in South Africa

The 100 lowest signed restrictions, lowest first. Every one of the 801 is on the map above.

LocationHeightTypeRoadRegion
Pontac Street · Cape Town2.00 mtunnel—Western Cape
Pontac Street · Cape Town2.00 mtunnel—Western Cape
Burg Street · Cape Town2.00 mtunnel—Western Cape
Hans Strijdom Avenue · Cape Town2.00 mrestriction—Western Cape
Saint Francis Street · Kouga Local Municipality2.00 mrestriction—Eastern Cape
Saint Francis Street · Kouga Local Municipality2.00 mrestriction—Eastern Cape
Main Street · Ga-Segonyana Local Municipality2.00 mrestriction—Northern Cape
Airport Road · Hantam Local Municipality2.00 mrestriction—Northern Cape
Boschkop Road · Tygerberg Country Estate2.00 mrestriction—Gauteng
Boschkop Road · Tygerberg Country Estate2.00 mrestriction—Gauteng
Boschkop Road · Tygerberg Country Estate2.00 mrestriction—Gauteng
South Arm Road · Cape Town2.05 mrestriction—Western Cape
South Arm Road · Cape Town2.05 mrestriction—Western Cape
Bella Rosa Street · Bellville2.05 mtunnel—Western Cape
Mariannhill Plaza · eThekwini Ward 152.10 mrestrictionN3KwaZulu-Natal
22 Bree Street Parking · Cape Town2.10 mrestriction—Western Cape
Human Street · Theewaterskloof Local Municipality2.10 mrestriction—Western Cape
Oliver Street · Sol Plaatje Local Municipality2.10 mbarrier—Northern Cape
Loop Street · Cape Town2.10 mrestriction—Western Cape
Airport Ring Road · Cape Town Ward 242.10 mrestriction—Western Cape
Airport Ring Road · Cape Town Ward 242.10 mrestriction—Western Cape
Airport Ring Road · Cape Town Ward 242.10 mrestriction—Western Cape
Cullinan Hotel Road · Cape Town2.10 mrestriction—Western Cape
Airport Ring Road · Cape Town Ward 242.10 mrestriction—Western Cape
Airport Ring Road · Cape Town Ward 242.10 mrestriction—Western Cape
Wolmarans Street · Johannesburg2.10 mrestriction—Gauteng
N1;N4 · Pretoria2.10 mrestrictionM8Gauteng
N1;N4 · Pretoria2.10 mrestrictionM8Gauteng
N1;N4 · Pretoria2.10 mtunnelM8Gauteng
Airport Ring Road · Cape Town Ward 242.10 mtunnel—Western Cape
Airport Ring Road · Cape Town Ward 242.10 mrestriction—Western Cape
Airport Ring Road · Cape Town Ward 242.10 mrestriction—Western Cape
Airport Ring Road · Cape Town Ward 242.10 mtunnel—Western Cape
Airport Ring Road · Cape Town Ward 242.10 mrestriction—Western Cape
Airport Ring Road · Cape Town Ward 242.10 mtunnel—Western Cape
Airport Ring Road · Cape Town Ward 242.10 mrestriction—Western Cape
Airport Ring Road · Cape Town Ward 242.10 mtunnel—Western Cape
Airport Ring Road · Cape Town Ward 242.10 mtunnel—Western Cape
Airport Ring Road · Cape Town Ward 242.10 mrestriction—Western Cape
Airport Ring Road · Cape Town Ward 242.10 mrestriction—Western Cape
Airport Ring Road · Cape Town Ward 242.10 mrestriction—Western Cape
Eloff Street · Johannesburg2.10 mtunnel—Gauteng
Joubert Street · Johannesburg2.10 mrestriction—Gauteng
Century Boulevard · Milnerton2.20 mrestriction—Western Cape
Century City Drive · Milnerton2.20 mrestriction—Western Cape
Century Boulevard · Milnerton2.20 mrestriction—Western Cape
Century Boulevard · Milnerton2.20 mrestriction—Western Cape
Century Boulevard · Milnerton2.20 mrestriction—Western Cape
Century Boulevard · Milnerton2.20 mrestriction—Western Cape
Century City Drive · Milnerton2.20 mrestriction—Western Cape
Louis Gradner Street · Cape Town2.20 mrestriction—Western Cape
Louis Gradner Street · Cape Town2.20 mrestriction—Western Cape
Century City Drive · Milnerton2.20 mrestriction—Western Cape
Century City Drive · Milnerton2.20 mrestriction—Western Cape
Century City Drive · Milnerton2.20 mrestriction—Western Cape
Century Boulevard · Milnerton2.20 mrestriction—Western Cape
Century Boulevard · Milnerton2.20 mrestriction—Western Cape
Marine Drive · Gqeberha2.20 mrestriction—Eastern Cape
Marine Drive · Gqeberha2.20 mrestriction—Eastern Cape
Century City Drive · Milnerton2.20 mrestriction—Western Cape
Century City Drive · Milnerton2.20 mrestriction—Western Cape
Century City Drive · Milnerton2.20 mbridge—Western Cape
Louwtjie Rothman Street · Parow2.20 mtunnel—Western Cape
Century Boulevard · Milnerton2.20 mrestriction—Western Cape
Century Boulevard · Milnerton2.20 mrestriction—Western Cape
Century Boulevard · Milnerton2.20 mrestriction—Western Cape
Sandy Point Causeway · Richards Bay2.20 mbridge—KwaZulu-Natal
Louwtjie Rothman Street · Parow2.20 mtunnel—Western Cape
Louwtjie Rothman Street · Parow2.20 mtunnel—Western Cape
Louwtjie Rothman Street · Parow2.20 mtunnel—Western Cape
Century City Drive · Milnerton2.20 mtunnel—Western Cape
Century City Drive · Milnerton2.20 mtunnelN1;N7Western Cape
Century City Drive · Milnerton2.20 mrestriction—Western Cape
Century City Drive · Milnerton2.20 mrestriction—Western Cape
Century City Drive · Milnerton2.20 mtunnel—Western Cape
Century Boulevard · Milnerton2.20 mrestriction—Western Cape
Century Boulevard · Milnerton2.20 mrestriction—Western Cape
Slipway · Milnerton2.20 mrestriction—Western Cape
Louwtjie Rothman Street · Parow2.20 mrestriction—Western Cape
Louwtjie Rothman Street · Parow2.20 mtunnel—Western Cape
Louwtjie Rothman Street · Parow2.20 mrestriction—Western Cape
Louwtjie Rothman Street · Parow2.20 mtunnel—Western Cape
Louwtjie Rothman Street · Parow2.20 mtunnel—Western Cape
Louwtjie Rothman Street · Parow2.20 mrestriction—Western Cape
Main Road · Simon's Town2.20 mrestriction—Western Cape
Louwtjie Rothman Street · Parow2.20 mrestriction—Western Cape
Louwtjie Rothman Street · Parow2.20 mrestriction—Western Cape
Louwtjie Rothman Street · Parow2.20 mtunnel—Western Cape
Louwtjie Rothman Street · Parow2.20 mrestriction—Western Cape
Louwtjie Rothman Street · Parow2.20 mrestriction—Western Cape
Louwtjie Rothman Street · Parow2.20 mtunnel—Western Cape
Louwtjie Rothman Street · Parow2.20 mtunnel—Western Cape
John Ross Highway · Mtubatuba Local Municipality2.30 mbarrier—KwaZulu-Natal
John Ross Highway · Mtubatuba Local Municipality2.30 mbarrier—KwaZulu-Natal
J.A. Calata Street · Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality2.30 mrestriction—Eastern Cape
J.A. Calata Street · Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality2.30 mtunnel—Eastern Cape
J.A. Calata Street · Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality2.30 mrestriction—Eastern Cape
Village Road · Kloof2.35 mrestriction—KwaZulu-Natal
Village Road · Kloof2.35 mrestriction—KwaZulu-Natal
Village Road · Kloof2.35 mrestriction—KwaZulu-Natal

By region

Where the 801 restrictions in South Africa are, across 9 regions.

RegionRestrictionsLowest
Gauteng3121.00 m
Western Cape2082.00 m
KwaZulu-Natal1182.10 m
Free State543.20 m
Mpumalanga403.15 m
Eastern Cape362.00 m
Northern Cape152.00 m
North West103.00 m
Limpopo82.40 m

How to read this data

Every point on this map comes from open map data, where a height restriction is recorded against the road, the bridge or the barrier it applies to. We rebuild our copy of South Africa once a week, so a clearance corrected on Monday is here by the following weekend. The table lists the 100 lowest restrictions in the country; the map shows every one of them.

Of the 801 restrictions in South Africa, 294 carry no height at all. That does not mean the road is clear. It means somebody recorded that a limit exists without recording the number — an unsigned height barrier, a sign nobody has read closely, or a tag that says only "lower than the usual limit". Treat those as unknown obstacles, not as open road. The rest break down as 111 under 2.5 m, 70 between 2.5 and 3.2 m, 34 between 3.2 and 4.0 m, and 292 above 4.0 m, with a median stated clearance of 4.42 m.

Coverage is uneven, and honestly so

This data is surveyed by people, and people survey what they drive. Motorways and trunk roads in South Africa are close to complete; farm tracks, private yards and small village underpasses are not. Gauteng alone accounts for 312 of the country's restrictions, which says as much about who maps there as about where the low bridges are. A road with no marker on this map has probably never been surveyed for clearance — it is not a guarantee of headroom.

How tall is your vehicle

VehicleTypical height
Small campervan (VW California, Transit Custom)2.0–2.2 m
Panel van conversion with a roof vent2.6–2.9 m
Coachbuilt motorhome3.0–3.5 m
Motorhome with a roof box or satellite domeup to 3.6 m
Box truck / lorry4.0 m

Measure yours rather than trusting the brochure: an air conditioner, a solar panel or a roof rack routinely adds 20 cm to a figure that was measured empty, and a loaded suspension does not give it back. Write the number on a sticker on the dashboard — it is the only figure that matters at the moment you are looking at a bridge and a queue of traffic behind you.

Before you drive

Restrictions cluster where old railways cross old roads, and those are exactly the routes a satnav picks to avoid a motorway toll. If your vehicle is over 3 m, plan the route before you start rather than trusting the shortest line on a phone screen.

Questions

How do I find the low bridges on my route in South Africa?

Open the map above and look along your route before you leave: all 801 recorded restrictions in South Africa are on it, coloured by clearance, and the table lists the 100 lowest with the town and road each one is on. On the road itself you want something watching ahead for you — a plan made at the kitchen table does not help at a junction you have already reached.

What is the maximum vehicle height allowed in South Africa?

The general limit is 4.30 m, and anything lower than that has to be signed. That is exactly what makes the 801 restrictions on this page worth reading: they are the places where the ordinary limit does not apply.

How many low bridges are there in South Africa?

Recorded here are 801 height restrictions of every kind — railway bridges, tunnels, underpasses and height barriers. 111 of them are under 2.5 m and 70 are between 2.5 and 3.2 m — the band that stops an ordinary campervan — while 292 are above 4.0 m.

What is the lowest bridge in South Africa?

The lowest clearance a road vehicle could pass is 2.00 m; anything tagged lower is a gate or a barrier rather than a road. The median stated clearance is 4.42 m, and the table above starts at the lowest and works up.

A restriction on the map has no height. Does that mean the road is clear?

No. 294 of the 801 restrictions in South Africa carry no number at all: somebody recorded that a limit exists without recording what it is — an unsigned barrier, a sign nobody read closely. Treat those as unknown obstacles, not as open road.

Where does this data come from, and how current is it?

From OpenStreetMap, rebuilt weekly; these figures were last measured on September 6, 2026. Coverage is uneven and this page says so: Gauteng alone accounts for 312 of the restrictions, which is as much about where people survey as about where the low bridges are.

On the road

This map is a planning tool. On the road, ilovay warns you about height restrictions ahead based on the height of your vehicle, and can route around them. Free on Android.

Get it on Google Play