Story by John Nhandara
THE Bulawayo-Nkayi road rehabilitation is gaining momentum with some sections of the road currently being worked on.
One of the contractors assigned to work on the Bulawayo-Nkayi road has made progress in the rehabilitation of a 10 kilometre section just after Ingwingwizi Bridge in Bubi district towards Nkayi.
The road has been in disrepair for years, causing significant inconveniences for motorists and impacting the local economy.
“It is an important road because heavy vehicles, buses, small cars connect Bulawayo and Matabeleland North using this road,” said a member of the community.
“The road has been idle for some time and we are happy we are witnessing huge progress,” said a beneficiary,” said another community member.
“Public transporters were now inflating fares because the road is in bad shape so we are grateful for the gesture).
The contractor is optimistic of meeting timelines, having mobilised all necessary machinery and equipment for the project.
“We have covered two and half kilometres and it is ready for surfacing. We are widening the narrow mate to a 10 meter full width tarred road and we are going to surface the road using asphalt overlay which is a bit durable in terms of strength,” said Engineer Vincent Gumbo (Site Agent – Difflock Construction).
“The road was a strip road so right now we are ripping it then reclaim it and put three bases on top of that and put asphalt overlay with a thickness of 35 mm,” Engineer Palmerstone Mutyambizi the resident engineer in the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development – Matabeleland North Province.
The impact of the road goes beyond just smooth travel as it also has significant economic impact on Bubi and Nkayi districts.
Apart from the Bulawayo-Nkayi road some of the priority roads in the rehabilitation project earmarked for rehabilitation this year include the Bulawayo-Tsholotsho road and the Bulawayo -Victoria Falls highway.
