Construction works on the Blantyre City By-pass Road in Malawi is in good progress. Vice-President Saulos Chilima visited the 97km project to evaluate the progress made so far. The VP was impressed with the design though, saying if done properly, the road would be of great value.
According to Chilima, although the initial works have been done, the main challenge is funding. “The initial works have been done but the main challenge is funding and it is a 97km stretch of road for which in the current budget (2020/2021), we provided resources to the extent of US $1.6m. However, if we continue to fund these projects at that rate, it will take us more than 30 years to finish this road,” he added.
Nevertheless, Chilima said that projects like the by-pass road are part of national development as such, he appreciates the progress made. “I would also like to appreciate the Roads Authority, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Economic Planning and Development and Treasury for finding a solution on how they can fund the project,” he said.
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Funding of road projects
According to the Vice President, the government is losing a lot of money when road projects are not well funded or delayed. It is sad to see that people get compensated when government wants to start a road project but when they see no activity, the same people will start encroaching the land and demand more compensation.
The Blantyre City By-pass Road initial works started in 2019. It road starts from Matindi to Njuli and will have a 7.4m wide carriageway and 2.1m wide shoulders on each of its sides. The project is funded by Malawi Government and being constructed by the China Civil Engineering Construction Group (CCECG).
