$1,2m boost for Masvingo roads

THE Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara) has allocated more than $1,2 million for Masvingo City for the rehabilitation and maintenance of its road network this year, an official has said.

According to City of Masvingo’s Engineer Tawanda Gozo, of the $1,2 million, $180 000 will be for the emergency road rehabilitation programme.

The money will be used to repair Unity Road, Old Great Zimbabwe Road, Elliot Street, Chrome Road and Herbest Street.

Zinara, he said, deposited a total of $324 000 into the Masvingo City account in the third quarter of 2017.

“We have been provisionally allocated the sum of $1 286 000 for the year 2018 by Zinara under its road fund programme,” he said.

Eng Gozo said the funds were meant for the routine maintenance in the New Year.

“We had already submitted the proposed work plan for 2018 as per the requirement,” he said.

“The projects include installation of a new set of traffic lights, traffic signs and street name plates in all roads in the CBD and commonage.

“We will also attend to drainage system for about 50 kilometres, while pothole patching will be the continuous project till the end of the year.”

Pothole patching and resealing have been allocated a total of $90 072, while street lighting maintenance, street name plates and drainage system maintenance will cost at least $85 928.

“It was reported that Mboroma Street was left out of the 2018 road works and a number of streets in Ward 10,” reads part of the city’s recent full council minutes.

“Ward 10 councillor Lovemore Mufamba was, however, tasked to submit streets for inclusion on the 2018 Zinara road works. The 2018 Zinara works was adopted by the committee,”

Masvingo needs an estimated $25 million for the maintenance of its 257km road network.

It is believed that only four kilometres — about 1,5 percent of the total network — are in good shape, while 153 kilometres are average.