26 000km road rehab this year
MORE than 26 000km of Zimbabwe’s road network will be repaired this year under the Emergency Road Rehabilitation programme, as the Second Republic continues to give precedence to infrastructure development on the path to the attainment of an upper middle income economy by 2030.
According to the timelines set for this year, 840km of roads across the country will be rehabilitated and reconstructed, while 8,340km will be re-gravelled with 17 093km of road network set to be regraded.
Within the same period, Government will also reseal 1 290km of roads, reconstruct 427 drainage structures and work on 24 830km of erosion works and drains across the country.
Government has also mandated the Department of Roads in the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development to take over 500km of roads from urban councils. Further, the recapitalisation of the District Development Fund (DDF) has commenced after the fund received the first batch of motorised graders for the rehabilitation of roads on Friday.
In an interview with The Sunday Mail, Transport and Infrastructural Development Secretary, Engineer Thedious Chinyanga, said Government had started working on costing of rehabilitation of roads in councils.
“This year Government will rehabilitate and reconstruct 840km of road network across the country and this will include roads in urban and rural councils,” he said.
“We have started the costing of roads rehabilitation for urban councils and this is an exercise that we are currently seized with. Already we have US$400 million but we need to ascertain how much roads in urban and rural councils will gobble. We will also focus on re-gravelling, grading, resealing and vegetation clearing.
“Work has started with the first and second phases of the Road Emergency Road Rehabilitation programme running concurrently from March 1 to December 31, 2021.”
The Emergency Road Rehabilitation programme runs for 36 months and was divided into three phases with US$400 million raised through the Zimbabwe National Administration (ZINARA) and Treasury.
However, Government has since collapsed Phase One and Phase Two of the Emergency Roads Rehabilitation programme into a single phase that is running from March 1 to December 31 2021.
The two phases will see most of the work under the Emergency Roads Rehabilitation programme being carried out.
Recapitalisation of the DDF is ongoing and on Friday, the fund received two motorised graders, which are part of the 16 allocated by Treasury.
Speaking at the handover ceremony in Harare, the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs in charge of Implementation and Monitoring, Dr Jorum Gumbo, said the DDF is in charge of 60 percent of the national rural feeder roads.
“It is against this background that I welcome the positive response by Government to the plea by the DDF for recapitalisation. Specifically, I am grateful that in response to the plea for recapitalisation, Treasury has, through Zinara, allocated resources to procure 16 motorised graders and 24 supervisory vehicles. We are gathered here today to take delivery of two motorised graders, which are part of the 16 to be received under the Government funded recapitalisation programme.”
At the post-Cabinet media briefing last Wednesday, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said road works had started in earnest with relevant road authorities now mobilising road rehabilitation equipment.
“Cabinet was informed that as the programme gathers momentum, sufficient resources have been mobilised for works on critical, high impact roads to commence in earnest. The relevant Roads Authorities are mobilising equipment with Treasury support,” she said.
“Cabinet approved that the Department of Roads in the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development takes over a number of roads form urban councils, as follows: Bulawayo metropolitan Province, 16 roads; Harare Metropolitan Province, 32 roads totalling 250km; Manicaland Province, 9 roads with a cumulative 25km; Mashonaland Central Province, 8 roads totalling 12km; Mashonaland East Province, 38 roads totalling 84km; Masvingo Province, 20 roads totalling 45km; Matabeleland North Province, 3 roads totalling 7km; Matabeleland South Province, 19 roads totalling 30km; and finally, Mildands Province, 27 roads totalling 125km.”
The DDF has already embarked on road rehabilitation across the country and has set aside nearly $238 million for works in the Midlands, Manicaland, Mashonaland West, Masvingo and Matabeleland South provinces.
Rehabilitation of severely affected roads such as the Manjokonjo-Chin’ombe Road in Chiwara, Gutu in Masvingo has begun, while Mashonaland East province seeks to rehabilitate roads in Goromonzi, Marondera, Mudzi, Murehwa, Mtoko, Seke, UMP, Hwedza and Chikomba.
In Manicaland, 49 roads have been identified for urgent repair, while Matabeleland South has to date identified 808 km of roads that need reconstruction and repair.
The Ministry seeks to undertake routine maintenance on 9 600 kilometres of roads by 2025.
Under the Infrastructure, Utilities and Digital Economy cluster, Zimbabwe’s economic blueprint - the National Development Strategy (NDS 1) — prioritises completion of road rehabilitation projects.
NDS 1 notes that “a road can become an economy” and in this regard, focus will be on development of feeder roads into communities as a way of developing underdeveloped remote areas.
Part of the NDS 1 document reads: “Given the strategic importance of the road network in enhancing accessibility as well as promoting domestic and regional trade as a key transport corridor, the priority is to ensure that the assets are rehabilitated and preserved. Of the total estimated 84,000 km of road network, equivalent to 93 percent of the network is in fair or poor condition and in need of rehabilitation or periodic maintenance.”