Online Reporter
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
THE narrow Murahwa Green Market Bridge is no longer fit for purpose, as public and private vehicles, including those with school children, are having torrid time, as the outdated structure no longer meets the growing volume of traffic that passes through it daily.
The structure falls under the purview of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development.
For more than five years, the narrow bridge has been the major reason behind unprecedented congestion of vehicles, with long queues of traffic observed from the Central Business District downtown every peak hour.
With unruly kombi drivers who employ dirty driving skills while chasing their daily targets, scenes of lawlessness on the road are usually witnessed during the daily peak hours when all road users will be driving against time.
In the end, residents driving from areas such as Sakubva, Dangamvura, Fern Valley, Hob House and Zimunya are having a difficult time getting to work or school on time.
Entrepreneurs from Murahwa Green Market and other business locations delivering their wares to the Central Business District (CBD) or intending to get materials for their businesses from the CBD are also spending hours in traffic jams due to the state of this narrow bridge and volume of traffic.
In recent times, the challenge has been worsened by burst sewer lines where water is gushing out in the middle of the road very close to the bridge, and motorists tend to meander around, creating traffic movement problems.
Even though the revamping of the whole structure at Murahwa Green Market Bridge has been placed under the Christmas Pass Bypass Road Project, relief for road users along the route is apparently needed as a matter of urgency.
Contacted for comment, Mutare Town Clerk, Mr Blessing Chafesuka, said the local authority has tried to assist by ensuring alternative routes are rehabilitated.
“We are all eager to witness the completion of the Christmas Pass Bypass Road, which we all believe will bring a lasting solution to the challenge at Murahwa Green Market Bridge. We have alternative routes that we have rehabilitated with a view to easing congestion at the Green Market Bridge. We have Industrial Road, Glasgow Road, which both feed into Park Road enroute to the CBD. Newcastle Road also does the same. We are also rehabilitating the Sakubva (Mwamuka) to Yeovil route into the CBD, again as a way to ease congestion at Green Market. However, we are also facing challenges with extensive uncontrolled urban farming that has resulted in consistent clogging of sewer lines, hence the burst pipes that result in water gushing out at Murahwa Green Market Bridge, which we always see there,” said Mr Chafesuka.
As a corrective measure, Mr Chafesuka said they will be deploying municipal officers to help manage the flow of traffic.
“We have decided to help the situation by deploying municipal officers on site so that they help manage the flow of traffic,” said Mr Chafesuka.
Manicaland Provincial Roads Engineer, Engineer Raphael Sigauke said: “The Christmas Pass Bypass Road Project, which will bring a lasting solution to this challenge should end by November, and by then, we should have fixed the problem. For now, we are patching up the area and Mutare City Council has already repaired the burst sewer that was spilling on the tarmac.”
