Sikhumbuzo Moyo [email protected]
ROAD Trackers Construction, the company contracted to upgrade the Lupane-Nkayi-Kwekwe Road, is expected to open a further 10km stretch to traffic before the end of the year, with between 50km and 60km expected to become trafficable in 2027.
Last month, 10km of the road was opened to traffic, marking progress on a project expected to reduce the travelling distance between Harare and Victoria Falls by about 170km.
The new route will provide motorists travelling between the two destinations with an alternative to passing through Bulawayo. It is also expected to benefit motorists travelling from Hwange to Harare.
The road is being developed under a public-private partnership between the Government and local contractor ROAD Trackers Construction, using a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) arrangement. Under this model, the private partner finances, constructs and operates the infrastructure before transferring it to the Government after an agreed period.
The project is expected to provide an alternative route for motorists travelling between Kwekwe and Victoria Falls without passing 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 new corridor.
Speaking during a tour of the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls and Lupane-Nkayi-Kwekwe roads last Friday, Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona, who was accompanied by Matabeleland North Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Richard Moyo, said work was progressing well and remained on schedule.
“We have been promised that next year the contractor will open between 50-60km of the road to traffic. This is over and above the 20km that will be opened this year. Remember, 10km is already trafficable,” said Minister Mhona.
