The R42 is a provincial route in South Africa that connects Vanderbijlpark with Bronkhorstspruit via Vereeniging, Heidelberg, Nigel and Delmas.
Route
The R42 begins south of Bronkhorstspruit, City of Tshwane, Gauteng, at an intersection with the R25. It goes southwards, bypassing the Bronkhorstspruit Municipal Nature Reserve and temporarily enters Mpumalanga Province.
Mpumalanga
In Mpumalanga Province, the R42 continues southwards and crosses the N12 freeway, entering Delmas. and crossing the Klip River.
At Peacehaven, the R42 turns southwards, following the Vereeniging Railway, to reach a junction with the R82 road, just west of the R82's Vaal River crossing. At this junction, the R42 joins the R82 and they are co-signed westwards, crossing under the Vereeniging Railway, up to the 2nd junction (Voortrekker Street). As the R82 becomes Voortrekker Street northwards through Vereeniging Central, the R42 becomes Voortrekker Street southwards.
At the Lewis Street junction, Voortrekker Street (R42) becomes Barrage Road and turns west-south-west towards Vanderbijlpark. Near the suburb of Powerville, the R42 meets the R59 Sybrand van Niekerk Freeway (west southbound and east northbound off-ramps only). The R42 continues westwards as the main road through Vanderbijlpark, bypassing Sharpeville and passing the Vaal University of Technology. Adjacent to Vaal Mall, the R42 meets the R57 Golden Highway at a junction.
From the R57 Golden Highway junction, the R42 goes west for a further 15 km, meeting the southern terminus of the R553 road from Sebokeng. As the road continuing westwards joins the N1 Kroonvaal Toll Route southbound, the R42 route makes a left turn to become Boundary Road southwards and continues for 15 kilometres, crossing the Vaal River adjacent to the Vaal Barrage into the Free State, crossing to the other side of the N1 toll highway, to end at another junction with the R59 road approximately 18 kilometres east of the city of Parys, just west of the R59's intersection with the N1 highway.