60% of Gweru roads gravelled

AT least 60% of the Gweru City Council road network is gravelled while graders used to maintain them have broken down, a situation that has made the roads untrafficable, mayor Josiah Makombe has said.

In his state of the city address, Makombe said his municipality hopes to rehabilitate its road network before the rainy season.

“About 60% of Gweru’s road network is gravelled and graders are required for the maintenance of these roads,” Makombe said.

“However, all graders are down and have not been serviced, therefore, all gravel roads cannot be maintained.”

He, however, said council had started the governmentfunded emergency road rehabilitation programme.

The council boss said tendering for phase two was underway. “Periodic maintenance for 2,3km of Swazi and Morah/ Mutambara roads is underway.

“The priming stage has been completed and the roads now await surfacing,” he said.

Makombe said rehabilitation of the city’s road network has been hampered by inadequate financial resources as well as unavailability of plant and equipment, which led council to concentrate on routine maintenance.

A recent council report showed that about 70% of the city’s roads required massive rehabilitation work.

Council has only been able to maintain 35% of the surfaced road network which is, however, heavily potholed.

Motorists have over the years expressed concern over the pothole-riddled roads particularly in high-density suburbs.