TINASHE MAKICHI
Government will in the next two weeks resume works on the dualisation of the Harare-Mutare highway which had been put on hold due to financial challenges, Business Times can report.
Last year, the government had done a 6 kilometres stretch from Goromonzi turn-off to Melfort.
Transport and Infrastructure Development minister, Felix Mhona, told Business Times this week that the dualisation of the highway is resuming in two weeks’ time.
“Just watch the space. The dualisation is going to resume in the next two weeks. In the Second Republic we are moving with speed on the completion of all stalled projects,” Mhona said.
The Harare-Mutare dualisation project is part of the ambitious plan to dualise the Plumtree-Mutare Highway.
In the past, funds were allocated for other projects that include the Marondera to Wedza 10km stretch(US$5m) into a wide mat from a strip road, 10km of the Beatrice to Mubaira Road (US$10m), 7km of the Wedza to Sadza Growth Point (US$3,5m), 3,3km of the Mt St Mary’s to Nhekairo Chingondo (US$1m.
The Marondera to Wedza Road which links Murambinda and Harare is the shortest route from Harare to Murambinda and Harare to Buhera.
In February, President Emmerson Mnangagwa launched a programme to rehabilitate at least 26 000km across the country by year end. Government committed ZWL$33.6bn to rapidly rehabilitate the country’s roads that were heavily damaged by rains.
Most of the country’s roads have outlived their lifespan and the heavy rains that were received during the 2020/21 rainy season worsened their condition.
Government is committed to rehabilitating the road network as infrastructural development is key to attaining an upper middle-income economy by 2030.
A government report shows that 50% of work has been done across the country so far as road authorities have gravelled 70% of the targeted 16 284km network, and 70% of 556km drainage structure repairs and construction.
The report also shows that by the end of August, Zinara had disbursed ZWL$4.7bn to road authorities such as the Department of Roads, which received ZWL$1.4bn, the District Development Fund, which received ZWL$1.7bn, with urban local authorities receiving more than ZWL$855m and rural local authorities receiving ZWL$744m.
