Hre-Beitbridge Highway Nears Completion . . . As 435km Now Open to Traffic
Work on the foundation of a bridge at Manyame River near Skyline Tollgate along Harare-Masvingo Highway has commenced as the reconstruction of the last stretch to Harare nears completion. — Picture: Justin Mutenda
Freeman Razemba
Senior Reporter
THE rehabilitation of the Harare-Masvingo-Beitbridge highway is near completion with 435km now open to traffic, as the start of work on the upgrade of the 342km Harare-Chirundu Highway has also reached an advanced stage with five of the contractors already on their sections where they are doing routine maintenance of the road. The Harare-Chirundu Highway, the northern leg of the main north-south corridor, helps Zimbabwe to connect with Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania. Most of the highway needs a rebuild, with the Karoi-Kariba stretch now having bad patches characterised by potholes and eroding edges making it difficult for motorists to manoeuvre. Only the stretch from Chirundu up the escarpment is considered to be in good condition after the recent major work partly financed by Japanese support. The rehabilitation of the Harare-Beitbridge highway and modernisation of the Beitbridge Border Post to bring in efficient systems aimed at reducing or eliminating delays, are the two signature projects of President Mnangagwa’s administration. Beitbridge Border Post has already been commissioned by the President and users of the busiest land border in the SADC region commended the speed with which they were being cleared, and the ease of clearance over the festive period. ReadMore