CB to have 7th Toll Plaza

DESPITE already having the highest number of toll plazas in the country, the Copperbelt Province is on the verge of getting the seventh one.

Stakeholders in Chililabombwe held an interactive meeting to discuss the most suitable location for the yet to be erected toll plaza along T3 Road commonly known as the international road in Chililabombwe.

Chililabombwe Deputy Mayor Getrude Witola said some of the factors to consider when positioning the Toll Plaza included convenience and traffic flow.

Ms Witola said the Toll Plaza should be positioned in an area that did not inconvenience community members and did not result in traffic build up.

And Lubambe Mine has welcomed the move to erect a toll plaza along international road.

The mine however said there was a need to share a well-documented Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with stakeholders of the exact proposed coordinates of the preferred location and possibly reasons leading to the preference.

Lubambe Mine General Manager Daniel Chihili expressed happiness that the government would soon commence road works on the international road especially that it was the most inconvenienced due to the bad state of the road.

“We would like to state that the first preferred location for the Toll Plaza may not be the best option having that it is quite close to the mine and this entails that you may need to set up camp in a close range to the mining area.

“Avic International being the contractor of the international road and the toll plaza should consider coming up with several possible sites for the location of the Toll Plaza, unlike only stating one which may not be a conducive location,” he said.

He said as Avic International was looking for a suitable location, it should keep in mind the mining regulation that prohibited buildings, infrastructure or facilities being in close proximity to mining areas.

Meanwhile, Chililabombwe District Commissioner Precious Njekwa requested Avic International to present feedback on the discussion and a well documented MOU on the proposed coordinates for the location of the toll plaza to the stakeholders before the next meeting which will be held this week.

The first proposed location for the Toll plaza is near Lubambe Mine on a T-Junction of a road commonly known as Lubambe Road.