Govt paves 15km stretch of Lusaka roads

The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development has disclosed that about 15 out of the over 40 kilometers of roads earmarked for rehabilitation in Lusaka, have so far been completed.

This is under the 1.8 billion kwacha project aimed at decongesting and improving road infrastructure in the capital city.

Principle Public Relations Officer in the Ministry, Liseli Kanyanga has also revealed that under the project, works to expand Great East road from four to six lanes, between Munali and airport roundabouts will commence once the rainy season ends.

Speaking in an interview with the media in Lusaka, Ms. Kanyanga explained that this is meant to ensure there are no delays or disruptions once the works commence.

“So out of the 40 kilometers of roads that were earmarked for rehabilitation and construction, about 15km  of roads in Lusaka have already been paved. Notable are Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe road in Avondale and Ibex hill mainstreet, among others,” she said.

She added that the Ministry is also aware of the inadequate signage and markings on some roads in Lusaka.

Ms. Kanyanga explained that the Ministry has since instructed the Lusaka City council to ensure all roads in the city have proper signage and markings.

She stated that the contractor has been directed to put up interim markings on newly completed roads, further assuring that permanent markings will be made once works are completed.

Meanwhile, Ms. Kanyanga has indicated that the Ministry has also engaged the Lusaka Water Supply and Sanitation Company to address to address a sewer problem that has led to the expansion of a pothole, caused due to rainfall flooding on Thabo Mbeki road.

She however assured that Thabo Mbeki is part of the over 40 kilometers road rehabilitation project, earmarked for expansion from two to four lanes.

Ms. Kanyanga further guaranteed that the contractor has since been directed to patch up the pothole ahead of works, in order to ensure the safety of motorists.

Earlier, motorists interviewed by ZANIS expressed worry about the state of Thabo Mbeki road, further calling on authorities to urgently intervene.

One of the motorists, Sinoya Nkhoma lamented that the bad state of the road is causing significant damage to vehicles and called for a lasting solution.

“I am appealing to authorities to quickly fix Thabo Mbeki road because we as drivers are badly affected. Our vehicles are getting damaged frequently and we have to spend money on repairs,” said another motorist, Lex Tembo.