Harare-Kanyemba Road construction: 2km opened to traffic

The redesigning and rehabilitation of the Harare-Kanyemba Road in Mashonaland Central Province has moved a gear up following the completion and opening up of about 2km to traffic of part of the stretch between Mahuhwe and Mushumbi.

Local contractor, Exodus Construction, is currently working on redesigning and the total construction of a 10km road that links Mahuhwe and Mushumbi.

This is in tandem with President Mnangagwa's policy of "leaving no one and no place behind" in terms of development, a policy that seamlessly dovetails with the devolution agenda that is expressed in the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1).

For hundreds of people in Mashonaland Central province, the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the 354-kilometre of Harare-Kanyemba Road under the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme (ERRP) over and above other infrastructure projects like dams is a game-changer.

What is more, the roads are being constructed by local firms—many of which are recording brisk business that has raised the demand for construction materials and also led to industrial recapitalisation.

Posting on its Twitter handle, the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development confirmed the developments.

"Harare-Kanyemba Road Construction, 2km Mahuwe to Mushumbi stretch now complete and opened to traffic."

The development also comes after the redesigning and rehabilitation of Kanyemba Border Post in Mashonaland Central Province is set to start next month after a local contractor, Exodus and Company, was also engaged to undertake the works.

In terms of the border, the contractor is mobilising equipment and putting it at the border, which links Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique.

Feasibility studies are also being conducted to ensure that a Y-Bridge linking the three countries is constructed.

Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister, Felix Mhona, and Government officials recently visited Mashonaland Central Province to assess progress and inform the people about the developments.

He said the issues to do with infrastructure were of paramount importance and the border post was to promote issues to do with a vibrant border post and to promote issues of connectivity.

Minister Mhona said the Government was not only going to rehabilitate the border post, but also pursue the issues of constructing a Y-Bridge with Zambian and Mozambican counterparts.

The infrastructure developments in Kanyemba are expected to boost connectivity, as travellers going to the DRC and Tanzania, would save close to 400km if they use the route.

More roads across the country have been also lined up for rehabilitation under the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme Phase 2 (ERRP2), as the Second Republic continues to prioritise national transport infrastructure and infrastructural development for economic growth.

Some of the roads have been completed while others are still at the tendering stage.

Significant progress in the rehabilitation of a number of roads in different parts of the country has been made, to ensure traffic-ability.

So far, over $1 billion has been spent on road rehabilitation, gravelling and drainage structuring.

Over 2 000km of roads have been re-gravelled, while 6 627,9km have been graded with 701 drainage structures constructed or repaired and 184 wash-aways reclaimed.

Across the country, 4 491,5km of drains have been opened while 6 141,2km of verges have been cleared with progress continuing on the patching of potholes, with a cumulative of 4 794,8km having been attended to.