News / National
Small progress registered on Beitbridge - Victoria Falls road rehab
06 Jun 2023 at 06:19hrs | Views
SOME progress has been made on the rehabilitation of the Beitbridge-Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road under the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme (ERRP2) as the Second Republic continues to deliver on its promises.
Good roads are seen as economic enablers, which should help Zimbabwe's drive towards attainment of Vision 2030 of an empowered upper-middle income economy.
Last year, the Government declared the condition of roads as a State of emergency following heavy rains, and launched a massive rehabilitation drive under ERRP2.
ERRP2 will soon be replaced by the Road Development Programme, aimed at developing Zimbabwe's roads to meet world class standards in line with Vision 2030.
The Beitbridge-Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road had, of late become a cause for major concern for motorists, as some stretches especially from Lupane to Gwayi, had totally collapsed.
Villagers had helped fill some of the potholes, especially between Insuza and Mbembesi River.
Most of the potholes on the 40km stretch from Hwange to Victoria Falls, which had become a nightmare for motorists, have been patched.
Early last month, the Government started rehabilitating the highway, which is a major connector to the North-South corridor, beginning with the badly damaged sections, which are now being resurfaced.
Bitumen World was contracted to repair the road.
The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development is using ERRP2 funds for the project.
Yesterday, men were at work on the 3km stretch between Deka River and South Mining, where that section of the road has been barricaded, with vehicles using a detour.
Two more detours have been created on the other side of the Deka River, while the section that is yet to be attended to is near Cinderella in Hwange, where the road has been badly damaged and a bridge across a stream collapsed.
While the stretch between Cross Jotsholo and Insuza has not been fixed, workmen are busy cutting trees from Jotsholo towards Lupane in preparation for the start of road works.
Due to the bad state of the road, driving between Bulawayo and Victoria Falls was now taking about nine hours when it should ordinarily take between five and six hours.
In an interview yesterday, Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona said 60km of the road between Beitbridge and Victoria Falls would be reconstructed as they were badly damaged while other sections would be patched or maintained.
"The listening President, Mnangagwa, after hearing concerns of the motoring public using the Beitbridge-Bulawayo-Victoria Falls highway, directed that I move with speed to rehabilitate the road," he said.
"Recently, we were in Hwange relaying the message to the people of Zimbabwe and I am so delighted that the Second Republic is walking the talk. Over 60km of reconstruction of the damaged sections of that particular road has been done and routine maintenance of the entire road is in progress."
Minister Mhona said he was happy with the work being done under ERRP2 and urged the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara) to prioritise funding some roads under the same programme.
Zinara has since allocated $41 billion to various road authorities including councils, for the maintenance of road infrastructure countrywide, with over $11 billion disbursed between January and April.
The Beitbridge-Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road is crucial to the country's growth as it provides an interconnector to the North-South corridor via Beitbridge, arguably the busiest inland port of entry in sub-Saharan Africa.
The road is used by tourists entering the country from South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, and Namibia.
Matebeleland North Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister, Richard Moyo, said the state of the road network in the province was bad and needed urgent attention.
He said work being done on the Beitbridge-Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road would have a positive impact on the province's economy.
"Yes, the road is being attended to as the Second Republic under President Mnangagwa promised. Road rehabilitation is underway as some sections are being redone and patched, but the plan is to do the whole road so that it conforms to international standards," he said.
"We would like to thank the President and the people are seeing his work."
Tourism guides, under the banner of the Zimbabwe Tourism Guides Association (ZTGA) in Victoria Falls, are also patching potholes on the Victoria Falls-Kazungula Road, where driving had become a nightmare.
ZTGA heeded President Mnangagwa's call for the private sector to partner the Government in infrastructure development, and mobilised resources to rehabilitate the road that links the tourism city with Botswana.
The guides are working with Lunyalalo Trust and Vapositori for Economic Development and the Ministry of Transport.
Initially, the ZTGA intended to rehabilitate the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road from Cross Mabale in Hwange to Victoria Falls and then from Victoria Falls to Kazungula Border Post.
Good roads are seen as economic enablers, which should help Zimbabwe's drive towards attainment of Vision 2030 of an empowered upper-middle income economy.
Last year, the Government declared the condition of roads as a State of emergency following heavy rains, and launched a massive rehabilitation drive under ERRP2.
ERRP2 will soon be replaced by the Road Development Programme, aimed at developing Zimbabwe's roads to meet world class standards in line with Vision 2030.
The Beitbridge-Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road had, of late become a cause for major concern for motorists, as some stretches especially from Lupane to Gwayi, had totally collapsed.
Villagers had helped fill some of the potholes, especially between Insuza and Mbembesi River.
Most of the potholes on the 40km stretch from Hwange to Victoria Falls, which had become a nightmare for motorists, have been patched.
Early last month, the Government started rehabilitating the highway, which is a major connector to the North-South corridor, beginning with the badly damaged sections, which are now being resurfaced.
Bitumen World was contracted to repair the road.
The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development is using ERRP2 funds for the project.
Yesterday, men were at work on the 3km stretch between Deka River and South Mining, where that section of the road has been barricaded, with vehicles using a detour.
Two more detours have been created on the other side of the Deka River, while the section that is yet to be attended to is near Cinderella in Hwange, where the road has been badly damaged and a bridge across a stream collapsed.
While the stretch between Cross Jotsholo and Insuza has not been fixed, workmen are busy cutting trees from Jotsholo towards Lupane in preparation for the start of road works.
Due to the bad state of the road, driving between Bulawayo and Victoria Falls was now taking about nine hours when it should ordinarily take between five and six hours.
"The listening President, Mnangagwa, after hearing concerns of the motoring public using the Beitbridge-Bulawayo-Victoria Falls highway, directed that I move with speed to rehabilitate the road," he said.
"Recently, we were in Hwange relaying the message to the people of Zimbabwe and I am so delighted that the Second Republic is walking the talk. Over 60km of reconstruction of the damaged sections of that particular road has been done and routine maintenance of the entire road is in progress."
Minister Mhona said he was happy with the work being done under ERRP2 and urged the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara) to prioritise funding some roads under the same programme.
Zinara has since allocated $41 billion to various road authorities including councils, for the maintenance of road infrastructure countrywide, with over $11 billion disbursed between January and April.
The Beitbridge-Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road is crucial to the country's growth as it provides an interconnector to the North-South corridor via Beitbridge, arguably the busiest inland port of entry in sub-Saharan Africa.
The road is used by tourists entering the country from South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, and Namibia.
Matebeleland North Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister, Richard Moyo, said the state of the road network in the province was bad and needed urgent attention.
He said work being done on the Beitbridge-Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road would have a positive impact on the province's economy.
"Yes, the road is being attended to as the Second Republic under President Mnangagwa promised. Road rehabilitation is underway as some sections are being redone and patched, but the plan is to do the whole road so that it conforms to international standards," he said.
"We would like to thank the President and the people are seeing his work."
Tourism guides, under the banner of the Zimbabwe Tourism Guides Association (ZTGA) in Victoria Falls, are also patching potholes on the Victoria Falls-Kazungula Road, where driving had become a nightmare.
ZTGA heeded President Mnangagwa's call for the private sector to partner the Government in infrastructure development, and mobilised resources to rehabilitate the road that links the tourism city with Botswana.
The guides are working with Lunyalalo Trust and Vapositori for Economic Development and the Ministry of Transport.
Initially, the ZTGA intended to rehabilitate the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road from Cross Mabale in Hwange to Victoria Falls and then from Victoria Falls to Kazungula Border Post.
Source - The Herald
