Plans to construct Musitwe (Melfort) River Bridge underway

Freeman Razemba
Senior Reporter

Plans to construct a dualised Musitwe (Melfort) River Bridge along the Harare-Mutare Road are now at an advanced stage after the Government handed over the project to a local contractor, Tensor Systems, to do the works.
In a statement, the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development confirmed the construction of the bridge in Melfort area which was recently dualised.

“We are pleased to announce that the site handover for the Musitwe River Bridge Construction Project has taken place, marking the official commencement of the project.
“As part of the Harare-Marondera Road dualisation, this new bridge will enhance road safety, improve connectivity, and drive economic growth in the region.”
In terms of the Harare-Mutare dualisation process, 46km between Harare and Marondera have already been completed and opened to traffic, and works will continue.

The Second Republic led by President Mnangagwa has invested heavily in infrastructural development, mainly transport and energy infrastructure, which are seen as key to transforming the economy.
Using locally-generated resources, the Second Republic has so far rehabilitated more than 50 000 km of roads while 2 000 structures have been attended to since the start of the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme (ERRP) in 2021.
Zimbabwe has an estimated road network of 84 000 km, out of which 93 percent is in fair or poor condition and in need of rehabilitation or periodic maintenance.

The Government is also in the process of negotiating with potential investors for the rehabilitation of some of the country’s roads.
Another major road restoration programme is expected to be rolled out soon, targeting not only highways, but also those roads in communities and other feeder roads to ensure no one and no place is left behind.