The Sunday News
Vusumuzi Dube, Senior Municipal Reporter
THE Government has taken over the rehabilitation of some roads in urban centres so as to ensure that their restoration begins in earnest.
This comes after the country’s road network was declared a state of disaster with most of the roads having become untrafficable following damage by heavy rains that were received across the country.
Government therefore launched a deliberate resource mobilization strategy that was meant to urgently address the dilapidated road network.
In Bulawayo, the local authority further reported that 75 percent of the road network had outlived its life span and they required US$700 million to bring the road network to a good condition.
Speaking during a post Cabinet briefing on Wednesday, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister, Senator Monica Mutsvangwa revealed that Government had managed to raise significant resources for the rehabilitation exercise hence the decision to take over some urban roads.
She said the various roads authorities were now mobilising equipment with the treasury’s support.
“Cabinet approved that the Department of Roads in the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development takes over a number of roads form urban councils, as follows: Bulawayo metropolitan Province, 16 roads; Harare Metropolitan Province, 32 roads totaling 250 kilometres; Manicaland Province, nine roads with a cumulative 25 kilometres; Mashonaland Central Province, eight roads totaling 12 kilometres; Mashonaland East Province, 38 roads totaling 84 kilometres; Masvingo Province, 20 roads totaling 45 kilometres; Matabeleland North Province, three roads totaling seven kilometres; Matabeleland South Province, 19 roads totaling 30 kilometres; and finally, Midlands Province, 27 roads totaling 125 kilometres,” said the Minister.
On the Harare-Masvingo-Beitbridge Highway, Minister Mutsvangwa revealed that they took a decision that the five contracted companies resume operations immediately with a sixth company to be engaged to commence works on the upgrading of the Harare-Chirundu Highway.
