Story by John Nhandara
Government is investigating the cause of accidents at a three-kilometre stretch that has become a black spot in Beatrice, along the Harare Masvingo highway.
The three-kilometre stretch in Beatrice along the Harare Masvingo highway has become a high accident zone, with the government moving in to investigate and come up with a solution.
Statistics indicate that 11 accidents, some of them fatal, have been witnessed at the stretch since October last year.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Engineer Theodius Chinyanga was in Beatrice on a fact-finding mission this Thursday.
“The reason for my visit is to assess the cause of accidents happening at this section. Since October 2022, 11 accidents have been witnessed in this section and most of these are fatal and involve public vehicles. One of the major causes is speeding. The second cause is the slippery road, especially during this rainy season. Most of the drivers we have interviewed have cited the section as slippery,” he said.
Engineer Chinyanga said the immediate action is to put in place speed calming devices, such as rumble strips, while they await laboratory tests of the surface to come up with a lasting solution.
He added, “Our immediate action will be putting speed signs for drivers to reduce speed. From 120 to 80 and to 60kms.The other intervention is speed calming devices. Our engineers and the roads laboratory will undertake some tests of the surface to see what will be causing the surface to be slippery. The contractor will now be preparing the detour in case we need to rip the surface. The reason why the surface can be slippery is because of bleeding meaning there might be too much bitumen on the asphalt. So, we will get the results from the lab test.”
According to statistics from the ZRP, more than 2 000 people lost their lives in road accidents last year with an average of 4 000 accidents occurring every month.
