BCC, Zinara in $15m Bulawayo roads rehab project

Published: 29 April 2019

THE City of Bulawayo in conjunction with Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (Zinara) has embarked on a $15 million joint roads rehabilitation programme which is likely to spruce up the city's potholed roads.

Town clerk Christopher Dube told the Daily News that the exercise is part of general maintenance and routine works which the city often undertakes.

"This is a joint exercise with Zinara. The total budget is $15 million, with Zinara contributing $6 million while we contributed $9 million,"Dube said.

"The rehabilitation works involve the resurfacing, reinstating carriageway markings and other general maintenance works. When complete, these works will prolong the life of the carriageway, improve road safety and ride quality," he added.

According to Dube, the works commenced on April 1.

He said the municipality has undertaken every effort to ensure disruption to traffic, business and residents is kept at minimum.

"To ensure safety of the motoring public and workforce whilst carrying out the works, alternate carriageway closures of the roads are required, with traffic being diverted accordingly," he said.

Yesterday, this publication witnessed contractors from Bitumen World rehabilitating Fort Street while council engineers worked on Jason Moyo Street.

Other roads that are to be rehabilitated include sections of Fort Street Extension, Jason Moyo Street, 8th Avenue, Matopos Road and Manchester Road.

Recently, Zinara board chairperson Michael Danha implored local and road authorities to contract experts and qualified personnel in road rehabilitation and construction exercises so as to improve quality on the country's roads.

Danha said incompetent contractors who did substandard jobs have forced Zinara to redo the jobs at their own expense, adding that the new board will soon set up a committee that will monitor works done by contractors.

So far this year, Zinara has released $240 million for road construction and maintenance to be disbursed to local authorities compared to $188 million allocated last year.

Meanwhile, a massive road rehabilitation exercise is currently under way across the country, with Zinara disbursing the funds.
- zbc

Tags: Zinara,