Beitbridge-Byo-Vic Falls road dualisation to begin
THE Government has completed the feasibility study for the dualisation of the BeitbridgeBulawayo-Victoria Falls Road and tenders to invite prospect funders will be flighted this week.
In an interview, Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Dr Joram Gumbo revealed it was critical for the project to start soon as it was central in the country’s economic development as it would help enhance the transportation of exports and imports.
“My ministry has now completed the feasibility study of the Beitbridge-Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road and this project will be going to tender next week. These regional roads serve Bulawayo Metropolitan Province and play a significant role in its accessibility to traders and tourists. The roads also provide connectivity with Zimbabwe’s neighbouring countries, Zambia to the north via Victoria Falls, Botswana to the west via Plumtree and South Africa via Beitbridge. As such imports as well as exports can easily be transported into and out of the country hence the need for this project to take off,” said Dr Gumbo.
He said his ministry was especially committed to ensuring that the country’s roads are trafficable, revealing that despite the limited resources they were doing everything in their power to push priority projects.
“The Zimbabwean Government headed by President Mugabe recognises that transport infrastructure is a pivotal vehicle to socioeconomic growth and development through the movement of goods and people. The transport sector facilitates economic activities, and access to local, regional and international markets within the Sadc region and beyond.
“The biggest challenge that my ministry faces is shortage of funding to implement various road programmes. The national road development and rehabilitation programme requires funding of $5 billion over the next five to 10 years, that is, about $500 million annually. However, the allocation received by my ministry from both Zinara and Treasury in 2015 was just over $6 million. Therefore we call on everyone not to run away from tollgates but help us get funds to revive the roads through paying the tollgate fees,” said Dr Gumbo. He said besides the reliance on tollgate fees, his ministry was also developing other ways to address the funding problems that were being faced by the country in terms of infrastructure development. “I would like to state that my ministry is working on ways to rectify the funding shortage in two ways, firstly; embarking on an extensive Build-OperateTransfer road programme in which most of our primary roads will be put out to tender on a BOT basis. “Secondly we are looking at improved fund management by Zinara to provide more allocation to the road programme. We are therefore looking at increased road activities in the next few years,” said the minister. Meanwhile, Minister Gumbo singled out the Bulawayo City Council as having one of the best road infrastructure in the country revealing that as a ministry they were satisfied in the manner the local authority was utilising road funds availed to them.
“Within the City of Bulawayo, the road network is fairly well developed such that all industrial areas are connected. In fact Bulawayo’s road network is one of the best maintained urban road networks in Zimbabwe. This is largely explained by the prudent application of the resources that Zinara has provided for the road network in the city. This network provides inter-connection between industry, the Central Business District and residential areas such that businesspeople, workers and shoppers can easily travel to and from these places,” said the minister.
Last year, Bulawayo got $899 200 for road rehabilitation and this year the same figure had been allocated of which $570 700 had already been released.
“BCC has always been innovative in their approach, for example their recent introduction of the community-based road maintenance programme which involves pothole patching, grass cutting and drainage clearance. The programme is ward based and involves making use of locals to fix their own roads, with council officials coming in as supervisors. Plans are already underway to replicate this programme to other local authorities in the country.”