Domboshava road rehabilitation works resume

THE rehabilitation of Domboshava road has resumed after some delays, with Transport and Infrastructural Development Permanent Secretary Engineer Joy Makumbe saying the contractor is now on the ground.

“The contractor is expecting to finish the project in May,” she said.

“This exercise took some time as contracts had to be renegotiated before works could resume on all Government sites.

“Then there was the rainy season when no road projects could be done. This further delayed the project. However, as we speak now, the contractor is back on the ground proceeding with the works.”

Domboshava residents and the large numbers that use the road have been complaining about the delay.

“The construction of Domboshava road has taken much longer than expected. The situation is very bad. We would rather avoid potholes than this dust road which has remained unserviced since around May last year,” said Mary Makumbe.

Commuter drivers have highlighted the emergence of numerous potholes, which have become a source of distress, affecting daily travel.

“The road is now in bad state. As commuter bus drivers, we find it difficult to travel daily because there are numerous potholes. This is a busy road, a lot of farmers use it. The delays brought a lot of challenges,” said Noah Manyati one of the kombi drivers on the route.

Farmers in the area have also complained about losses.

“We are struggling due to the stalled roadworks, as the delays have significantly hindered our ability to reach market points, impacting our livelihoods negatively,” said Lydia Mugogi.

Contrary to social media reports that there was a destroyed bridge, Eng Makumbe said that the bridge in question was not destroyed, but rather improved.

The works were to sort out the storm water drainage.

“The allegations that we have destroyed the bridge are not true,” said Eng Makumbe. “The public is not informed on the scope of the project, but we are sure that after today, the public will now speak from an informed position. The culvert that was there was demolished because it had become incapacitated.

“The demolition was done to make way for a shelf which has a greater capacity to handle the volume of storm water experienced at the stream.

It is therefore an improvement of the so-called “bridge”. The structure has since been completed and the contractor is working on backfilling of the approaches. Works will be completed in May 2024.”