Construction of access roads to New Parly Building begins

CONSTRUCTION of about 26km of access roads in the Mount Hampden area has started through Government contracts to link to the New Parliament Building, Bindura Road and other surrounding areas and ease anticipated congestion in the northwest of Harare.

As of right now, Bitumen World, a local contractor, is building roughly 13 km of the Old Mazowe Road from the Westgate roundabout. By July 31 of this year, it is anticipated that all of the roads will be finished. The government will rebuild the remaining portion of the road up to Mazowe later this year, connecting it with Bindura Road, after building the 13 km.

The other route being built at the moment is a 7-kilometer boulevard that runs directly from Bindura route to the New Parliament Building. By the middle of the year, all eight lanes—four on the right and four on the left—will be completed. The other two are a 2 km road that will also lead to Parliament and the 4,7 km crescent that surrounds it.

Yesterday was the groundbreaking ceremony for the roads in Mount Hampden, which was organized by the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Development, Felix Mhona, the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for the Harare Metropolitan Province, Charles Tavengwa, and other government officials. According to Minister Mhona in an interview, the project's goal was to show the country that they weren't just campaigning but rather genuinely intended to advance things.

"I'm thrilled to be speaking at this significant event. We have gathered here in Mount Hampden today to exhibit and carry out the vision of His Excellency Cde Dr. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, our esteemed leader who has been a major proponent of infrastructure development. We are not going to leave anyone or any location behind, is his catchphrase. "This is exactly what we are doing, and as you have seen in the past few weeks, we are not remaining in our offices. Our goal is to show the Zimbabwean people that we are not only campaigning for office; rather, we are here to bring about genuine, significant progress, and that is what we are doing.

"And as a member of SADC, we are saying that, today, we are witnessing this groundbreaking ceremony, we need to showcase to the outside world that we are in a position to rehabilitate, reconstruct our roads and in particular our infrastructure," he said. According to Minister Mhona, Bitumen World will first widen the 13 kilometer section from the Westgate roundabout to approximately 12.5 meters via rehabilitation.

An artist's rendition of the roads Bitumen World plans to build in Mount Hampden. The goal is to facilitate traffic flow and provide quick access to Parliament, although the Boulevard Road will be completed first. This route, which would connect Parliament with Bindura route directly, will be roughly 6,4 km long. It can be rounded up to about 7 km, at which point we want to add several lanes. We need to show what a modern road would look like, and we will start with four lanes on each side.

"Yeah, this is what our ministry is doing for the people of Zimbabwe, but as I constantly say, under tough circumstances in terms of mobilizing resources. However, once more, we must give respect to the wonderful leader Cde Dr. Mnangagwa, who urged us to use our own resources, and we are doing just that. "We need to think creatively to form strategic alliances rather than waiting on Treasury." Ultimately, this is what we are riding on—we have relationships with the private sector and loan financing that is backed by the Treasury, he stated.

The government intended to target not just one road but also other city roads, beginning at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport. Minister Mhona urged Zimbabweans to have patience, pointing out that as infrastructure development requires a significant amount of money and labor, the country cannot be fully recovered at one time. The ministry intended to relocate to rural areas, where they were collaborating closely with Zinara to acquire equipment for district councils in those areas.

We are announcing that we will not tolerate potholes on our roads or the loss of our precious lives, as I have mentioned. Therefore, our descent on our main roadways will also be visible to you, Minister Mhona stated. Speaking at the same event, Minister Tavengwa stated that the government, under President Mnangagwa, "is walking the talk in bringing development to this nation" and that roads were one of the fundamental pillars supporting economic development.

He described Mount Hampden as a developing new city that housed Zimbabwe's administrative center eventually, beginning with the New Parliament Building. Therefore, for this center to fulfill its objective, transportation infrastructure is essential. Here at Mount Hampden, Zimbabwe will host the 44th SADC Heads of State and Government Summit. Recognizing the importance of a well-functioning transportation system for commerce, investment, and connectivity, let's continue to uphold our commitment to assisting not only road projects but also all other developmental initiatives in the Harare Metropolitan Province and the nation at large.

Together, we can overcome all obstacles if we work together and take advantage of the advantages of cooperation. "Once more, welcome to the beating heart of the country, the Harare Metropolitan Province," he remarked. Mr. Andre Zietsman, the CEO of Bitumen World, stated: "As a company, we are extremely happy and privileged to be involved in this project." This is a historic moment for our nation, and we are thrilled that all the construction will center around the new Parliament.

We are thrilled to be working on this project, and we want to express our gratitude to the President and our parent ministry for their vision. We also promise to complete the project on schedule. It will take a team effort to finish the about 26 mile project in five months, and we need to finish it by July 31 in order to make the SADC summit. Road infrastructure is extremely important everywhere because it makes it easier for people and commodities to move around, according to Cde Knowledge Kaitano, the legislator for Mudzi West and chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport and Infrastructure Development.