Kitwe council unveils K2m traffic lights project

THE Kitwe City Council will spend more than K2 million to install traffic signals, Mayor Christopher Kang’ombe has announced.

Mr Kang'ombe said Siltekk Engineering Limited had been contracted to do the project over a contract period of 12 weeks.

He said Siltekk has installed the traffic lights at six points and the council had applied for power supply from ZESCO.

The mayor said this in statement issued yesterday.

"The total cost of this project is K2, 396,038.00 VAT inclusive, and the contracted firm to carry out the work is Siltekk Engineering Limited over a contract period of 12 weeks from date of site handover.

"Currently, Siltekk has installed the traffic lights at the six points, and the council has applied for power supply from ZESCO. We are hopeful that ZESCO will respond in the soonest possible time,'' Mr Kang'ombe said.

He said the points where traffic load demanded intervention were pedestrian crossings, which included Independence Avenue near Shoprite and at Zambia Way near Barclays Bank at Kaunda Square.

a"Other points are along President Avenue at the junction with Nsansa Lane leading into the Civic Centre. These three points within CBD have very high foot traffic crossing roads with equally high motor vehicle.

“The installations will help both the pedestrians and the motorists have safe passage in a timely manner,'' he said.

He said the other three traffic lights installations would be at Chiwala /Chandamali junction where there was normally a heavy build-up of traffic at the entrance to Mukuba Mall

"Other points are at Central -11th street junction where there was constant flow of heavy duty trucks which make it hard for motor vehicles along 11th street to cross Central Street.

"And also at the Ndola/ Luangwa/Presidential roads junction where the rehabilitated Presidential road had seen an increase in motor vehicle traffic,'' he said.

Mr Kang’ombe however expressed concern at the high cases of theft and vandalism recorded on the project including the theft of traffic signal poles and the vandalism of the traffic controller installed at President Avenue/Nsansa lane junction.