THE Road Development Agency (RDA) has signed two road contracts with China Henan and Gomes Haulage Limited for the rehabilitation of the Lusaka to Chirundu and the Livingstone to Sesheke roads worth about K300 billion.
RDA director Bernard Chiwala said China Henan would work on the rehabilitation of 51 kilometres Lusaka – Chirundu road at a cost total cost of K215, 187,851,108 within a period of 24 months.
Mr Chiwala said the rehabilitation would include clearing, drainage works, pavement layer construction, asphalt surfacing and line marking including furniture installation.
Mr Chiwala said Gomes Haulage would rehabilitate the 115km Livingstone – Sesheke Road at K87, 801,024,084 and was due for completion within one year.
He said the contractors were tasked to repair potholes, resealing and replacing drainage structures and other road infrastructure.
“Am optimistic that the contractor will execute the task within the stipulated time frame because they are professionals as can be seen from their track record,” he said.
Mr Chiwala said he expected the two contractors to start commence work within 90 days from the time of signing the contract.
China Henan representative Xu Chunhua said her organisation was grateful for being accorded an opportunity to work on the Lusaka–Chirundu Road.
Ms Xu said China Henan would employ more than 2000 local people to help speed up the rehabilitation of the roads.
She assured RDA that her organisation would execute the rehabilitation in the given time frame.
“Would like to assure RDA that China Henan will complete the rehabilitation of the Livingstone- Chirundu in the stipulated time frame,” she said.
Gomes Haulage managing director Leroy Gomes expressed gratitude for being awarded the contract because it was an indication that RDA had confidence in local contractors.
Mr Gomes said the contract would facilitate the creation of jobs to locals in Livingstone .
“I must commend RDA for considering Gomes Haulage to rehabilitate the Livingstone to Sesheke road because we will be able to create jobs for local residents in order to speed up the rehabilitation process,” he said.
ok.
I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHO CONSTRUCTED THE ROAD IN PICTURE ABOVE. ONE DOES NOT NEED TO BE A CIVIL ENGINEER TO KNOW THAT THE CONTRACTOR AND RDA ROBBED THE PEOPLE MILLIONS OF KWACHA. THE ROAD IS SO THIN IT LOOKS LIKE A RAZOR BLADE. RDA IS REALLY FULL OF THIEVES WHO DON’T CARE ABOUT THE QUALITY OF ROADS. THEY CARE ABOUT THEIR POCKETS. BECAUSE HOW CAN ANY1 ALLOW SUCH AN ASPHALT-THIN LAYER OF ROAD TO BE PASSED AS MEETING THE QUALITY AND STANDARDS?
Peter, the road collapsed because of wider earth movement. That road and asphalt is made to 90 ton specification and is just fine in all other parts upto now.
LENDOR-BURTON
That is an old picture you are seeing. That mud slide was in 2009
If Rehabilitation works only for 166 km can cost K300 billion, then I do not see many gravel roads being tarred in de next 10 years!
Furniture on Chirundu road, sofas? that’s what we are talking about…Nsanda at work!!
Muleke whisky, isnt it to early. Even those things in your underwear can sometimes be refered to as furniture.
I confirem you’re a fake and an i.d.i.o.t. Firstly Incriminate then now as a lecture you dont now what is meant by a simple stament that every labourer that hasnt been to school knows. S.h.i.t you. fake. What do you think even road ralings are called. Sign posts and all. what would a general term be. F.u.c.k you now. I had respect for you but you’re full of it.
Get lost
I dont mind mis spelling a few words as a mechanic and proud of what I do. Anyway if I was not angry with you I would certainly even write better english than you if i proof checked it. No wonder you coudnt qualify to lecturer at UNZA or even ZIT Let alone private colleges in Kanyama and went to the Getto in the states so you can work nights from behind and make claims
I CAN’T BELIEVE SOMEONE LIVING THE US OF A DOESN’T KNOW WHAT STREET FURNITURE IS. BY THE WAY #4 YOU CAN HAVE ONLY A BUNCH OF PROFESSORS AND EXPECT THAT JOB TO BE DONE. IN ANY PROJECT, THERE SHOULD BE PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS OF ABILITIES. HOW DO YOU EXPECT A PROFESSOR TO GO AND PUSH OR HARANGUE A LABOURER TO DO SOME WORK. PROBABLY, WILLIE NSANDA’S PLACEMENT IS SPECIFICALLY FOR THAT.
Since when did Gomes Haulage start civil construction?
They ve been doing civil works since kaunda days. The problem is every year they have to work on the same roads.
Nostradamus #4, if we ask you to furnish us with information, we don’t want your chairs… Lundazi Dweller #6, you should get out of Lundazi every now and then – Gomes Haulage is one of the oldest Transport and Civil Works companies around (in fact they have done very good roadworks in Luanshya if you need a sample…)
#2 & 5 Peter,please dont comment of things you dont understand.You should ask the Engineers about what is involved in road construction instead of expressing your ignorance publicly and misleading the public about things you least know.For your own information the strength of the road is not measured by the thickness of the asphalt but other parameters that you will not understand.There are things like MDD,UCS,ITS,PI,LL etc(I cannot explain these terms because you wont understand them) that engineers consider as critical than the thickness of the asphalt.In a lay mans language the asphlat only acts as a cover to protect the road from excessive water ingress into the pavement.The strength of the road is measured in the layers below the black top(Asphalt).Dont just yap yap yap!!
Mr.Expert in road engineering.#2&5 may not be knowledgeable about road construction but can see that the quality of road construction was poor ( possibly done by the same Chinese crooks).The road is similar to manenekela in the eastern province but that road just gave in like it was constructed by a grade 7 graduate.
No. 7, but why did that road just sink like that? The problem with you Zambian Engineers is “theory”. MDD, UCS, ITS, PI blah blah blah, I don’t care even if I don’t know. I want a good road and not that one which sunk in Chirundu. Obviously the Zambian Engineer passd that road based on your theoretical parameters (maybe he didn’t even calculate them correctly due to crooks law he used to get the degree at UNZA) to pass it as having met the quality and standards, so I think #2 is in order. He/she is right and you are wrong. You want to scare us with equations while giving us crap.
ma ma ma ma well said….i think Mr. educated has listened
Zambia is blessed with distinguished engineers and yet we find an old recipe of building good solid roads a challenge. Build toll motorways with support systems such as service stations, lodges, police station, highway recovery points on the main trade routes. Toll roads would generate billions for the country due to it’s geographic location. The country can generate much needed revenue from haulage to and from neighbouring countries.
No.10. its the roads dude , ur plan need money not jst saying other wise it may end up head in the ZRA’s Chirwa plan how’s plans r too big with the new districts coming, we need revenue for the budget and Zambian roads wont recover the cost of all that shopping list of urs so its pointless.
It amazes me how people with little knowledge want to comment on issues they dont understand. It is better to ask than to just make silly comments. Let engineers comment and just read. Even if you are using pseudonyms some people know who you are and please do not embarass yourselves. Ati road furniture ni sofa, my foot! No. 7 u are absolutely right. No.8 the sinking of that road could have been due to several factors; weak material under the pavement layers or an underground stream. You can see how deep the hole is and the road is at the edge of a cliff. It is extremely difficult to foresee that such failures would happen when designing roads or during construction. Please give engineers a break!
point of correction.2000 casual jobs will be created and for JUST twelve months..yes CASUAL JOBS for zambians
The above photo shows that some shoddy work were done by following a narrow path and avoiding “chewing off” of the mountains by contractors thereby cutting on costs. Any engineer could have foreseen the weakness and vulnerability of the Chirundu Road (Chipata Road – Great East Road in the mountainous region) shares the same fate. When giving contractoors please ensure that only those contractors have genuine interest of Zambia at heart are given these contracts. Also the landscape of Western Province (of Zambia) is tricky and I am glad to see the Chinese company doing a great job laying those strong pillars in muddy and sandy soils of Kwa Haye.
I am in a business field. Every business’goal is to make more profit by cutting costs by any means. So how would procurement office determaine which contractors has Zambia’s interest @ their bossom and not their businesses? Unfortunately business has always been a cut throat issue & now it has even become worse becuz the world’s populace has increased fighting for shrinking resources. If Zambia wants quality, they have to outline it. We ve Quality Assurance offices in place that are underfunded, if we can strengthen these offices so that they can operate efficiently and effectively, then we will start seeing improvement in works. E.g. which office is in charge of construction standards, manufacturing standards, strengthen Environment Council and like manner offices.
Nostradumas, road furniture is not sofas. It refers to things like road signs. Those poles on road sides telling you: layby 1km, bridge ahead, ascending, sharp curve, destination x-15km etc.THAT IS ROAD FURNITURE my friend.
guys this article want ment for comments,instead lets discuss our country’s direction , lets get together and shape our destiny like Eygptians and Americans. Chipimo 2016 campaign
Road furniture are things like road signs that communicate to users, telling them; sharp curve ahead, layby, stop, no U-turn, bridge ahead, steep descent or slope. This includes milestones which tell you; Kapiri Mposhi 30km and even side barricades in tricky portions like curves. These make the road user friendly, unlike just mere smooth surface. Similar sense like an unfurnished house isn’t user friendly.
Road furniture refers to the last touches that make the road usable. These are signage posts that tell you bridge ahead, layby 1km, sharp curve, including side protection on portions where one can easily tip over. A good road is not just the surface. It must deal with water flow-drainages AND MUST COMMUNICATE TO THE USER through ROAD FURNITURE.
Question to # 8, that road was constructed from 2006 to 2009, and by then I was working in Chirundu commuting from Lusaka. We saw the Chinese constructors, put grass (ifyani) before they started tarring. Honestly, we knew we were ignorant in engineering but we kept murmuring about that kind of construction. One of my colleagues even took a picture, which he promised to send to the Post Newspaper. Was it correct to put grass?
chinese construction companies dont do good job,try south african companies.i worked for a construction firm here in the usa,i was amazed how the do it.the get the soil for lab-test,they put steel wire in some parts of the road that has weak soil structure and then road is built in three layers,underground layer(tared)middle layer (steel is added in some spots of soil weakness)and the last layer( the upper surface).of course zambia can not afford this but we can improve on spots which have weak soil support structures,put steel wire in those spots.am sure some engineers know what i mean.chinese ppl like cheap and saving measures,they dont do a good job.
cheap work cost lives and money
@13. Atase. Those concrete pillars on the Mongu-Kalabo Road are an essential component of building what is commonly known as a Causeway. Those pillars will next be connected when with each other with steel support structures. It is on the steel structures that the road will be ‘layed’ with the usual materials of sand, crushed stone, asphalt etc. By the way it is Kwa Hae not Haye!
If Gomes Haulage cannot even make a good,drainage free,soil free,dirt ,dirt and pothole free road such as Luanshya’s small Buteko Avenue,how are they honestly going to make any headway with a major road.Please GRZ,scrutinize your contracts……..My tax is going to waste.Check out the small Luanshya Road if I’m not making sense.
#7,I DEFINATELY know what I’m talking about coz I live on ONE of YOUR patheic road samples in Luanshya.
#11, even if you knew my identity, i wouldnt mind because what iam saying is beyond the truth almost at devine advice.
I happen to have used the road in the early hours of the same day it collapsed. Had to walk over to the other side to catch a bus. With so many hills along chirundu road, why should we still be trying to construct roads along side these hills, when we can just dig a tunnel through…. a long way to go for sure. VIVA Link Zambia Project.
#20, yes and these guys have to come to us with MDD crap and ask us why we should die if we do not know their Engineering equations. But ku Africa kwalibobututu. Just acquiring titles when you know you do not measure up to them. Ubututu at its best.
No. 17 PLANZO, you’re spot on. I drive around Australia and they are some roads that are worse of than in Zambia but when they do a full good job in the City that is what you are talking about. I doubt the Chinamen would cost that in their works.
Good advice unline Nostradamus whos just there to tell of people but himself is more clueless than a Zed Garderner
“Clearing, drainage works, pavement layer construction, asphalt surfacing and line marking at K215, 187,851,108” this is the usual language what ever it means. Its only recently when the Chinese did this road, within a short period was damaged again engaged Sable. Do we have well trained engineers at RDA? The road supervisors and foremen in the colonial days were far better, the roads they constructed could last not what I am seeing today. Please fire the rot!
#18 you are right. USA is great at roadworks. I had a conducted tour of Texas Highways construction in 1993. They are just great. Also I have noticed that in USA to reinforce the foundation especially at intersections steel rail lines are put before the put tarmac! Just five or so to give support on the ground. Sometimes bricks are put as foundation and this lasts a long time. In Texas cement is also used as concrete road constructions and it lasts and lasts and lasts!