Long, slow process of fixing Byo’s roads

Factmore Dzobo
MOTORISTS in Bulawayo have become used to roads riddled with potholes forcing drivers to meander to avoid damaging their vehicles.
In some instances, tarred roads have been reduced to strips after heavy rains received in most parts of the country this year. The city’s roads, once a marvel to drive on because they are wide, are now in a sorry state and one can hardly drive a stretch of about 200 metres without encountering a pothole.

The good news, however, is that council has embarked on a massive road rehabilitation project meant to bring back the former glory to the city’s roads.

Bulawayo Mayor Councillor Martin Moyo said work had already started but was quick to point out that it was likely to take long to complete work on the entire road network due to limited resources.

“At the moment, road maintenance in the city centre and in some residential areas is in progress and some roads have begun to take shape. It is not going to be an overnight thing to repair and upgrade the entire city’s road network. Limited resources are hampering our efforts to effectively complete the projects,” said Clr Moyo.

Motorists who have to endure the headache of driving on the potholed roads said the rehabilitation of the city’s roads was long overdue and therefore welcomed council’s efforts.

Mtshani Sibanda blamed the state of roads on the failure by the local authority to repair roads for the past decade or so. He said driving has been a nightmare for motorists and urged the city council to source enough funds to rehabilitate the city’s entire road network as a matter of urgency.

“This was long overdue, the city’s roads have outlived their life span and there is a need for the responsible authority to source enough funds to rehabilitate the entire city’s roads like yesterday,” said Sibanda.

Bulawayo Public Transport Association (Bupta) secretary general Albert Ncube said the programme to rehabilitate roads was a positive development. He said most of the city’s roads were almost impassable and as such were largely to blame for the many accidents recorded in the city.

“I have observed from late last year that the council has been doing a sterling job in the maintenance and repairing of dilapidated roads in the city but this was being done at a snail’s pace. We have incurred a lot of costs as public transporters repairing damaged vehicles as well as tyres  as a result of these potholes,” said  Ncube.

He said many of the accidents reported in the city were caused by drivers trying to avoid potholes.

Another motorist, Bhekizulu Mubayiwa, said it was sad that the local authority had failed to repair roads, replace road signs and fix traffic lights for so long despite the fact that motorists and public transporters are paying for permits and other road levies.

“Almost 50 percent of Bulawayo’s road signs, traffic lights and road network have not been maintained for years yet the local authority is collecting revenue from motorists daily. There are no concrete efforts being done in maintaining and repairing the road infrastructure in the city. The local authority should prioritise its essential services delivery such as road maintenance,” said Mubayiwa.

According to recent council minutes, the council resolved to source funds for the rehabilitation of approximately 20km of tarred roads and approximately 100km of gravel roads in different wards in the city.

Director of Engineering Services Eng Simela Dube said Bulawayo has a total road network of approximately 2,064km, with 1,472km being surfaced, while gravel roads make the 495km and the balance being earth roads. Of this network an approximately 70 percent is in a bad to poor condition and requires major rehabilitation or strengthening.

Eng Dube said priority will be given to Central Business District (CBD) roads, main roads and public transport routes for the resealing works.

He said work on premix overlays had already commenced in Cowdray Park and had been extended to Luveve Road and Emakhandeni suburb.

However, Eng Dube said that the  rehabilitation of roads project was likely to take long due to shortage of plant and equipment.
According to the information in the city’s proposed 2014 budget, an estimated expenditure of $9.6 million was budgeted for the maintenance of roads, bridges, subways, storm water drainage, processing of development permits and other services.

Last year, the government, through the Zimbabwe National Roads Administration handed over a state-of-the-art pothole patching machine to Bulawayo City Council as part of the recapitalisation of local authorities which started in 2013 and expected to end in 2015.