Massive rehabilitation of more major roads on cards

MAJOR roads, flyovers and bridges, along with mini interchanges along roads in and around Harare that link with the US$88 million Mbudzi Traffic Interchange, are being rehabilitated or constructed, Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona has said.

The government intends to finish the VVIP pavilion at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport by July 31 and open the domestic terminal as well as additional portions of the international terminal. For example, Julius Nyerere Way will be closed to traffic in the coming weeks to allow for major construction on the main road that passes through the city center.

From there, we also plan to unlock a few of the routes that travel to Mount Hampden's new Parliament. Chairman Mao Boulevard route is a route that runs directly from Bindura Road to Parliament. By the middle of the year, all eight lanes—four on the right and four on the left—will be completed.

Setting goals for ourselves allows us to assess our own performance. Thus, he continued, "we shall have a whole road network.

The contractor will repair the road to the Manyame River Bridge at the Mbudzi Interchange before continuing on to Wedza Road in Chitungwiza. We've already started rebuilding the alternate route, which leads directly to Makoni. Additionally, from this point on, there will be a dualization in part towards the Kuwadzana roundabout. At the roundabout, there will be a little interchange before we enter Solomon Mujuru (formerly Kirkman) Drive directly.

There are also plans to build further mini interchanges at Rothmans, ZBC, and Mbare mini interchange, which will be built at an existing bridge.

The city's other highways and the current bridges are scheduled for rehabilitation by the middle of the year.

The building of the Mbudzi Traffic Interchange, which is currently 55% complete and expected to be finished by the end of July this year, has received US$45 million from the government thus far.

At a cost of roughly US$14,8 million, the government has already paid compensation to 42 out of 52 property owners; only US$14,9 million remains unpaid.

Ninety-five of the impacted households are moving to Hatcliffe, where they will have homes constructed.

The US$88 million Mbudzi Interchange is located in Harare at the intersection of High Glen Road, Chitungwiza Road, and Simon Mazorodze Road. Before the government committed resources to replace the old Mbudzi roundabout with a multi-level interchange, it had been a major vehicle traffic chokepoint in southern Harare.

Among the project's advantages are the reduction of transit times, accidents, and traffic in the Mbudzi area as well as the creation of a more streamlined and effective traffic flow.

A big facelift would be given to most key highways in the city, according to Minister Mhona.

"We will close Julius Nyerere, Sam Nujoma Street, Nemakonde Way (previously Lomagundi Road), and Chirundu from the Main Post Office in about a month. We will also have detour routes in place. Thus, in regards to the traffic movement within these precincts, this is what we can tell," he stated.

The government is focusing on key roads like the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls road in addition to rebuilding urban roadways.

Additionally, a model for the roadways connecting Bulawayo and Victoria Falls is being finalized from Beitbridge. "You will observe that Bitumen World, our contractor, is currently on the site tending to the various sections. However, the approach we are taking with the Beitbridge-Victoria Falls Road is precisely the same as it is with the Harare-Beitbridge Road," Minister Mhona stated.

"We are saying that Victoria Falls will get connected," I want to tell to the people of Matabeleland and the tourism sector. You'll also see that we've completed the airport's renovation. Therefore, we will also be fixing other highways in the province of Bulawayo.

"We will continue to work on the Bulawayo-Nkayi route. Other roads that we plan to fix are Bulawayo-Kezi, Tsholotsho, and Gwanda-Maphisa.

"We are also in the midst of dualizing and expanding the Harare-Bindura Road, which will allow us to connect it to the Kanyemba Road, which leads into Zambia and Mozambique via a bridge that we will also be building."

He continued by saying that the government is also attempting to improve and enlarge the Cashel Valley Border Post in the province of Manicaland in Chimanimani.