Four new tollgates to start operating in March

Lovemore Meya Herald Correspondent
FOUR of the newly-approved tollgates, still under construction, are set to start operating at the end of March while the remainder will be functional at the end of June, an official has said.

The construction of the tollgates was approved by Government in October last year as a means to mobilise funds for roads maintenance and upgrading.

This was announced in the Statutory Instrument on Toll Roads Regulations (Amendment) 114 of 2015 gazetted on October 23, 2015.

Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (zinara) director operations Mr Precious Murove said construction of the tollgates was underway.

“The contractor, Department of Roads through the Provincial Road Engineers (PREs) within the respective provinces is currently carrying out the construction works since November 2015,” said Mr Murove.

“So far, four out of (10) ten tollgates have been erected with steel structures, and will be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2016 and 60 percent will be completed in June.

“The four are set to start operating by end of March are Harare-Chirundu (Karoi) which is half way done, followed by Harare-Bindura-Mt Darwin (Bindura), Bulawayo-Gwanda and Chivhu-Nyazura (Magamba),” he said.

The remaining six are expected to be complete in June.

“The remaining ones that are to be completed by end of June are Kazungula (Victoria Falls), Rutenga (Beitbridge), Dewure (Gutu), Lothian (Mutare-Masvingo), Ngundu (Masvingo) and Coleen Bawn (Gwanda-Bulawayo),” he said.

Mr Murove said they have set the tollgates at a distance of 100 km apart on a straight trunk roads and are normally constructed about 15-20 km outside the city or town.

“This applies on a stretch or a highway, for example between Plumtree and Mutare Highway (823km stretch) has nine tollgates.

“Precise considerations are made when toll sites are being chosen. These include traffic counts and distances. Consultations are carried out with various stakeholders, who include chiefs, road authorities, police and local representatives,” he said.

The consultations are headed by the Attorney General’s Office and the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development.

Light vehicles, mini-buses, long chassis buses and haulage trucks pay $2, $3, $4 and $10 respectively when passing each tollgate.

Under the Statutory Instrument, those with light motor vehicles and live within a 10 km radius from a toll gate will pay $10 in monthly toll fees.