Alaska-Copper Queen Road upgrade to resume

Conrad Mupesa
Mash West Bureau
The upgrade of the 60km Alaska-Copper Queen Road in Makonde district is set to resume next month, with a private contractor working on the logistics.

It had stalled last year due to Covid-19-related challenges. The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development had started the project, which is in line with Vision 2030 of an upper middle income society and the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1).

NDS1 seeks to improve the lives of communities through provision of top infrastructure such as roads, healthcare and energy.

Alaska-Copper Queen Road links Mashonaland West with Midlands Province, and shortens the distance from Harare to Gokwe.

Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Deputy Minister Kindness Paradza said a contractor will soon be in the district to work on the road.

“A private contractor has been awarded a tender to work on the road and is currently mobilising equipment,” he said.

“The contractor is one of the local contractors that are doing the Harare-Beitbridge highway. We are expecting the contractor on the ground soon.

“The service provider will do the complete stretch of 60km but working in phases.”

Deputy Minister Paradza, who is also Makonde Constituency legislator, said the contractor will work on the first 10km stretch that was attempted by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development Ministry team. Completion of the road is expected to ease perennial transport challenges confronting Makonde farmers. The Government allocated US$7 million to the Transport ministry to kick-start 10km under the project before releasing US$3 million more and an additional $12 million, but the upgrade works stalled during the early stages. Late last year, Mashonaland West Roads Engineer in the Ministry of Transport, Engineer Simbarashe Gomo, said Covid-19 was affecting progress in the road upgrade. They had set a target of completing 5km of the first 10km stretch in July, but that became impossible as some resources had to be directed to the fight against Covid-19.