Lusaka flyover bridges safe - EIZ

THE new flyover bridges constructed in Lusaka met the standards with regards the design and construction specifications, the Engineering Institute of Zambia (EIZ) has said.

EIZ president, Abel Ng’andu said in an interview that the institute had no problems with the bridges constructed by AFCON International because they meet the design and construction specifications.

Mr. Ng’andu however said the only problem the bridges have are the drainages following an observation by EIZ that there was flooding around some of the bridges.

He said the EIZ is looking into the matter to ascertain whether the drainages have a provision of an outfall where the water flows to prevent flooding.

“The new bridges definitely meet the standards in terms of the geometrical design, I think the biggest problem we have is drainage. If you really look at those bridges, they don’t have a problem in terms of design and how they were constructed, they are fine,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Ng’andu said investigations into the defects on the Society Business Park project have been done by a committee set up to work on a report.

He said that the report, which is almost ready, has to go through peer review to ensure that the facts in the document are correct before it’s released to the public.

Mr. Ng’andu clarified that a report to be released is not only intended for punitive measures but also meant for NAPSA as the owner of the building to take corrective measures if it is observed that the building still has problems to ensure that it’s safe for the public.

“EIZ is very critical in making sure that when a report is released it can be used as a guide for NAPSA if the building still has problems to do remedial works to ensure that the building is safe,” he said.