Raymond Jaravaza [email protected]
THE rehabilitation of the Lupane-Nkayi-Kwekwe Road is gathering pace, with contractor Road Trackers opening a completed section near Lupane to traffic as work continues on the strategic 240km highway.
The project, popularly known as the “Fighting Road” because of decades of calls by communities for its construction, is expected to improve connectivity between Matabeleland North and the Midlands, reduce travel distances and create new opportunities for trade and investment.
Matabeleland North roads engineer Mr Xolani Ncube said Road Trackers opened an upgraded section of the road last Friday, allowing motorists to use the completed stretch.
“Steady progress is being made on the Lupane-Nkayi-Kwekwe Road and last Friday one of the contractors opened a completely upgraded section of the road to traffic,” he said.
“The contractor tasked with rehabilitating the road is racing against time to meet the set deadlines and over the coming months we will be witnessing more stretches of the highway being opened to traffic.”
Road Trackers project manager Engineer Arnold Jeme said the company had been awarded a five-year contract to upgrade and tar the existing 240km road.
He said about 160km required extensive earthworks and widening to a 10-metre formation to accommodate the planned improvements.
“Two toll gates will be constructed along the highway, one in Lupane and the other in Kwekwe, while a bridge will also be constructed in Kwekwe. Another construction team is working from the Kwekwe side and is expected to complete an additional 10km by the end of the year,” he said.
Eng Jeme said rehabilitation work was expected to accelerate in 2027, with the company targeting to upgrade 40km annually.
The road is being developed under a public-private partnership between Government and the local contractor, using a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) arrangement. Under this model, a private partner finances, constructs and operates infrastructure before transferring it to Government after an agreed period.
The project is expected to provide an alternative route for motorists travelling between Kwekwe and Victoria Falls, without having to pass through Bulawayo. It could also ease traffic pressure on the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road, particularly if haulage trucks transporting coal from Hwange to Harare use the corridor.
Minister of State for Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs and Devolution Richard Moyo said the project was part of efforts to modernise the country’s transport network and improve connectivity across the
province.
“Once complete, the Lupane-Nkayi-Kwekwe Road will give travellers leaving Kwekwe the option of reaching Victoria Falls without passing through Bulawayo, cutting the journey by close to 200 kilometres,” he said.
“This is a long-overdue strategic corridor that has been in the pipeline for years and has now become a reality under the leadership of President Mnangagwa.”
Minister Moyo said the road was among major infrastructure projects being undertaken or planned in Matabeleland North, alongside the Bulawayo-Nkayi Road, Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road and Khami Prison access road.
He said the projects were intended to improve transport links and stimulate economic activity across the province.
In addition to road rehabilitation, the Lupane-Nkayi-Kwekwe project will include toll plazas and weighbridges intended to support road management, generate revenue and curb vehicle overloading.
