Bulawayo City Council yesterday commissioned plant equipment worth over $1 million amid indications that $700 million was urgently required for the city’s road maintenance projects.
By MELODY CHIMHAU
The equipment consists of one front loader, two graders, two rollers and six plate compactors.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony along Gwabalanda Drive yesterday, city mayor Martin Moyo said the equipment would go a long way in assisting rehabilitation of the road network which is in a bad state.
“The road rehabilitation plan for 2015 involves road construction, overlays, reseals and regravelling in addition to routine maintenance activities,” he said.
The council requires a total of $700 million to rehabilitate the city’s 2 065km-long road network. The bad state of the city and country’s major roads has been blamed for most of the fatal accidents that occur weekly. Most of the country’s roads have outlived their lifespan by more than 30 years.
“A total of 56km is planned for rehabilitation this year at a budget of $5 million. The projects will be carried out using council resources. This will increase the number of roads that are good or better. The rehabilitation of physical infrastructure would be aimed at providing public services to people after years of neglect due to economy decay,” Moyo said.
He said the restoration would be crucial to the city’s economic growth and social development especially when Bulawayo is facing deindustrialisation.
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The project has already started at Gwabalanda Drive where a total of $304 000 would be needed to complete the road. It would further expand to Mpopoma Avenue, Old Falls Road, Ematsheni and Cecil avenues.
