The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development in Zimbabwe is set to announce the developer who would dualise the US $350m the Beitbridge-Bulawayo -Victoria Falls highway.
Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Joel Biggie Matiza who confirmed the reports said that, said that the developer would be announced from the list of companies that have expressed their interest and noted that ongoing works in the dualisation of the highway is in progress.
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The Bulawayo-Victoria Falls highway
The Bulawayo-Victoria Falls highway is a road corridor number R9 that runs to the border with Zambia and with South Africa. The highway also links Zimbabwe to the trans-African Highway which runs from Cairo to Gaborone through to Pretoria, Kimberly.
Rehabilitation of the highway into a dual lane will be funded by the Government of Zimbabwe and the Infrastructural Development Bank of Zimbabwe (IDBZ) at a tune of US $350m.
Resources such as cement, quarry and some equipment making up 40% of the construction resources will be supplied by the locals creating employment for the locals around.
Modernizing border with Botswana
The Minister added that the Government also intends to dualise the Victoria Falls-Kazungula road as part of plans to modernize the border with Botswana which handles more than 2 000 tourists daily.
Tenders for the expression of interest were floated last year. The dualisation of the Beitbridge-Bulawayo-Victoria Falls road is expected to attract self drive tourists into the country.
Additionally Mr. Matiza disclosed that other major roads set to be dualised are the Beitbridge-Harare-Chirundu, Harare-Bulawayo, Harare-Mutare and Harare-Nyamapanda highways.
The Government last year approved a US $175m road rehabilitation project under the Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP) and the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme (ERRP).
The funds will also see some bridges being constructed, a departure from the previous administration which saw the country’s infrastructure, including roads, deteriorating at an alarming rate.
