Online Reporter
Freeman Razemba
A 7,3-kilometrestretch of the Harare–Masvingo–Beitbridge Road, located near Ngundu in the Mwenezi district, has been opened to traffic as works on the dualisation of a 16-kilometre section at the Ngundu Escarpment progresses.
This new section is part of the ongoing rehabilitation and upgrading project for the Harare–Beitbridge highway, a crucial trade route for Zimbabwe and the region.
The project involves creating a four-lane dual carriageway (two lanes in each direction) and aims to improve infrastructure and connectivity in the country.
It will also improve regional connectivity, support economic growth and facilitate smoother transit for passengers and freight.
The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development recently opened about 7,3km of the road in the Mwenezi area to traffic.
Road construction for the highway was done by five contractors — Bitumen World, which has completed and opened to traffic about 122km; Fossil Contracting 118km; Masimba Holdings 98km; Tensor Systems 90km; and Exodus and Company about 87,3km.
Overall, 522,5km have been completed and opened to traffic along the highway.
Only 59,5km remain to complete the project.
Construction of the Manyame River Bridge — a key component of the Harare-Beitbridge Road upgrading project — is also expected to be completed tentatively in November.
The bridge will enhance the flow of traffic along one of Zimbabwe’s busiest commercial routes.
In Masvingo, construction continues on the Mucheke River Bridge (Chevron Bridge) as part of the comprehensive Harare-Masvingo-Beitbridge road upgrade project.
In Mashonaland East province, priming is in progress on the Marondera-Hwedza Road as the contractor work on an essential “base coat” that ensures a strong, long-lasting bond for the new road surface.
Construction is also underway on the Marondera-Hwedza, popularly known as Mushandirapamwe Road, project, as well as the Nhekairo-Chigondo Road project in Hwedza.
Meanwhile, a 5km section of the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road rehabilitation and upgrading project in Insuza area is also now complete and open to traffic.
Over 50 000 kilometres of roads have been refurbished under the Government’s ongoing Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme 2.
The initiative, which began in 2021, has also seen repairs to over 2 000 road structures, with the country targeting 84 000km of road network, of which an estimated 93 percent was recently classified as in fair to poor condition, requiring urgent attention.
Bongani Ndlovu