Online Reporter
Freeman Razemba-Senior Reporter
CONTRACTORS undertaking road rehabilitation projects, constructing bridges and mini interchanges, have assured the Government that they will deliver quality works on set deadlines.
Some of the contractors undertaking the works along the Harare-Masvingo-Beitbridge road are Masimba Construction, Fossil Contracting, Bitumen World and Exodus and Company.
Transport and Infrastructural Development Deputy Minister Joshua Sacco last week led a delegation with other government officials and, legislators on a media tour of road infrastructure projects in Masvingo and Matabeleland South provinces.
He was accompanied by permanent Secretary Engineer Joy Makumbe, chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport and Infrastructural Development, Cde Tawanda Karikoga and Zinara chief executive officer Mr Nkosinathi Ncube.
The delegation first toured the Harare-Masvingo-Beitbridge road which include the Trumpet Interchange (flyover) bridges and urban bypass in Masvingo, Mucheke River bridge, Ngundu dualization section, and a tour of the Mwenezi section.
Deputy Minister Sacco who is representing Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona is also set to commission the Road Department Maintenance Unit in Beitbridge before touring the Gwanda-Maphisa road rehabilitation project.
In Matabeleland South province, there will be a tour of Maitengwe Border Post road construction project (1,5km along Plumtree Maitengwe Border Post road from Plumtree Town).
Once complete, the road will ease congestion and boost trade as it links directly to Botswana through the busy Maitengwe Border Post.
In an interview after touring Mucheke River Bridge which is now almost 88 percent complete, Deputy Minister Sacco said the ministry was pushing hard for the completion of the Harare-Masvingo-Beitbridge Road.
“We are currently conducting a tour to look at progress done so far, starting from Masvingo to Beitbridge. Here in Masvingo we are also constructing a mini interchange where traffic that doesn’t need to go into town will use a bypass and we are also upgrading the bridge at Chevron (Mucheke River bridge) to ease the congestion that is being currently experienced in Masvingo.
“We will also be covering Ngundu, Mwenezi and all the way to Beitbridge to check on progress of other projects,” he said.
Deputy Minister Sacco said he was impressed with progress made so far.
The ministry, he said, wanted the roads and interchanges to be completed by early next year.
Eng Makumbe also gave an overview of the projects being done along the Harare-Masvingo-Beitbridge Road.
A member of the Parliamentary committee, Cde Beatrice Nyamupinga, who is the legislator for Goromonzi West, said as a committee they were impressed with what they had seen and urged contractors to stick to their timelines.
In an interview, one of the contractors, Masimba Holdings Limited contractor manager Engineer Malvern Mnemo said they were at least 85 percent complete with their works.
“We are now in the last phase of a 20km stretch of the five phases we had and we have opened about 13km to traffic.
“We also have about 4km which are at an advanced stage and ready to be surfaced and it will be opened to traffic before the rainy season,” he said.
Fossil Contracting company general manager Engineer Kudzaishe Magodoro also said so far they have completed a total of 118km out of the 140km that they are currently working on.
“So far we have done 118km out of the 140km and we are left with 22km which we are doing. Our target is to complete about 10km by the end of this year while the other 12km will be completed by the end of May next year,” he said.
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