RIDA hands over expanded toll plazas as Zinara prepares e-toll rollout

HARARE, Jul. 29 (NewsDay Live) – The Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (RIDA) has handed over newly expanded toll plazas at Inkomo and Lion’s Den to the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara), clearing the way for the rollout of electronic toll collection.

The two tollgates have been widened from four lanes to six, with two dedicated express lanes reserved for motorists using Zinara’s planned electronic tolling system. The upgrades form part of a nationwide programme to modernise Zimbabwe’s 29 tollgates, improve traffic flow and reduce congestion through Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. Funded by Zinara and implemented by RIDA, the works were completed in just over two months. “Inkomo Toll Plaza is one of Zimbabwe’s busiest tolling points, serving thousands of motorists travelling daily between Harare and the northern parts of the country. Rising traffic volumes had resulted in congestion, particularly during peak travel periods and public holidays, increasing waiting times, fuel consumption and inconvenience for motorists,” Zinara said. Under the new system, registered motorists will use RFID-enabled electronic tags mounted on their vehicle windscreens. As vehicles approach designated express lanes, scanners will automatically identify the tag, deduct the toll fee from a prepaid account and raise the boom gate without requiring drivers to stop. Zinara said the expansion was among the first major infrastructure upgrades supporting the national e-toll programme and would help ease traffic bottlenecks, particularly during peak travel periods Besides adding two express lanes, the project included drainage upgrades to improve resilience during heavy rainfall and the installation of speed humps to improve traffic calming, lane discipline and road safety. Construction is continuing at Umguza Tollgate along the Bulawayo–Victoria Falls Highway, where approach roads are also being widened under the broader modernisation programme. The Department of Roads in the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development is overseeing quality assurance for the project. “The electronic toll collection reduces transaction times, improves traffic flows and improves revenue flow efficiency,” Zinara said. The roads authority said separating electronic toll users from motorists making conventional payments would increase vehicle throughput, strengthen revenue assurance, improve operational efficiency and support the government’s drive to digitise transport infrastructure.