THE Road Development Agency (RDA) has urged utility companies to restore upgraded roads to their original designs each time they make modifications to the infrastructure.
Motorists and other residents of Livingstone have lately been complaining of depressions or big potholes in some upgraded roads mainly as result of water pipeline replacement done by the water utility firms.
In an event that some depressions were covered, the standards are sometimes not up to the original designs for the roads.
Most Township roads were upgraded in Livingstone in 2013 in readiness for the hosting of the 20th session of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) General Assembly.
Road Development Agency (RDA) director in charge of communications and corporate affairs Royce Saili said there was need for utility companies to ensure that they maintain upgraded roads to their original designs each time they made modifications to the infrastructure.
Speaking in an interview, Ms Saili said utility companies were supposed to apply to the council or RDA to carry out any disturbances to the roads but some of them were modifying the roads without permission.
“After modifying the roads, the utility companies are supposed to reinstate the roads to the original designs.
“Our RDA regional manager for Southern Province will ensure that our roads are reinstated to the original designs. We have noted that sometimes the utility companies don’t do the work properly and it is either they create a deep or hump which are dangerous motorists,” Ms Saili said.
She said the township roads in Livingstone were still looking very good and hence RDA wanted to maintain their status.
Ba saili its not just Livingstone. Its the whole country. You can see how Lusaka roads have been dug up by those guys running fibre optic cables.
My concrete drive-in in Kudu Road has been dug up so many times by these optical fibre companies but instead of reinstating the original concrete slabe they just fill back the earth and the broken concrete slab. A country without laws except when it comes to politics from the time Zambia gained its independence.
local authorities are also far short of meeting the standard. RDA should just take up the responsibility.
I totally agree with this. Those failing to do so must be fined with the equivalent sum needed to repair that portion of the road.
This was common in the UK where Utility firms dug up tarred paths and simply hastily filled them up and poorly patched them up…now they are legally bond to leave them as they found them. RDA instead of mere yapping back it up.
Madam Saili with due respect, please the blame falls on RDA Our National Roads Experts, to ensure Councils and Utility Companies restore disturbed roads to originally built state. The Pot holes on refurbished David Kaunda Road in front of Mbita Police Post, on Balewa/Sombono Road in front of FRA Depot, entry junctions into Mosioa-tunya Road to Zambia Army School of Ordinance through to Industrial Road are some examples of potholes allowed to become craters soon on roads which were only built in 2013. Please walk the TALK to help retain our status in Livingstone as the Tourist Capital of Zambia.
@Senior Engineer RTD.THE BLAME IS ON THE COUNCILS.THE FIRST TIME A COMPANY APPLIES TO LAY CABLES THEY MUST ENSURE THEY USE CONDUIT PIPES WHICH ANOTHER COMPANY CAN COME & USE AT A FEE.WHAT WE ARE SEEING IS MADNESS.SOME AREAS ARE DUG UP EVEN BEFORE THE SOIL SETTLES BY ANOTHER COMPANY!!
Its Poor planning by RDA & to blame 100%. Why not leave trenches (provisions) in advance at construction time as the practice is worldwide? The digging of roads by councils, communication, water utilities is countrywide but not Livingstone alone. How can they reinstate it to the original designs when even the original contractor fails to do that when they come back later after completion to add calverts, drainage, bus stops which they always forget in plans, end up digging the road & leave it to worst standards than they had originally constructed it?