$1.2 bn Lusaka-Ndola dual carriage way downsized
THE US $1.2 billion Lusaka-Ndola Dual carriage way project is to be downsized, eliminating facilities that will be the preserve of the private sector, in a move seen as government’s reaction to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) threats to withhold assistance because of excessive borrowing.
According to Daily Nation sources, facilities such as a transit hotel, service station between Lusaka and Kabwe, and a mini city that was to be established between Lusaka and Kabwe and additional toll stations have all been eliminated from the project to bring the bill to about half the original cost.
Furthermore, the construction of the dual carriage way will now not involve ripping out the entire existing road but the construction of an additional road so that there would be four lanes with a middle separator. The dual carriage way would have no special or additional features to ensure that the cost was kept at a minimum. The project includes by-pass roads in Kabwe and Kapiri Mposhi and a 45-kilometre Luanshya-Fisenge-Masangano road.
Road Development Agency acting Director of Communications and Corporate Affairs Anthony Mulowa maintains that the Lusaka-Ndola Dual Carriageway project will focus on the construction of the road in the first phase while other components such as tollgates will follow much later and not that it would be downsized.
Mr Mulowa said the road project was being implemented in phases and the construction of the road would be prioritised.
He said there were a number of issues which needed to be dealt with to ensure the smooth implementation of the road project such as the encroachment by people between Lusaka and Kabwe and that if need be, such areas would be skipped to focus on other parts of the road.
Mr Mulowa said the Lusaka-Ndola Dual Carriageway was a huge project which would take four years and that the contractor, China Jiangxi International Corporation would prioritise the road works and not the building of tollgates, filling stations and hotels.
‘‘What we are doing is that we are implementing this project in phases. You know it’s a very big project which will take four years, so for now we will focus on the road while the building of tollgates and other components such as filling stations can come later,’’ Mr Mulowa said.
He said it would be inappropriate for the contractor to focus on the building of tollgates and other components before the actual road had been worked on.
Mr Mulowa said this did not mean that the road project was being downsized but that it would go on as scheduled but in specific and planned phases.