By JAMES KUNDA, Mwami border
THE Road Development Agency (RDA) is satisfied with the rehabilitation works on 360-kilometre (km) Great East Road, connecting Luangwa Bridge in Lusaka to Mwami border, between Zambia and Malawi in Eastern Province.
RDA construction and rehabilitation director George Manyele said the road works were subdivided into three lots.
Mr Manyele said of the 360km, 25km around the mountainous Nyimba area was undergoing defect maintenance, an exercise earmarked for completion in June this year.
He said the works included resurfacing and rebuilding.
Mr Manyele said under lot one, 99km of road had been put up between Luangwa Bridge and Nyimba District at a cost of 37 million Euros.
He said the project, which was funded by the European Union (EU), European Investment Bank (EIB) and the French Agency for Development (AFD).
“The works were undertaken by DTL Louis Berger and the contract is now in the final phase of defect liability ahead of final certification in June this year,” Mr Manyele said.
On the completed 114km Nyimba-Petauke-Sinda stretch, Mr Manyele said the project gobbled up K869 million, funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and Zambian Government.
He said there was an addition of 24km access roads, of which 6.5 km led into Petauke.
Mr Manyele named the project’s contractor a Conduril Zambia.
He said under lot two, the 95km Sinda-Katete-Mtenguleni Road gobbled up 43 million Euros and was completed in 2016.
“The work was done according to our specification and all that is left is the final inspection. The road comes with additional features such as street lights and a cycling lane which is equally important,” Mr Manyele said.
He said 50km had been laid from Mtenguleni in Chipata to Mwami border at a cost of 37 million Euros, funded by the EU, EIB and AFD.
Mr Manyele called for collaboration with other sector players in the enforcement of the Public Roads Act provision which deters people from encroaching on the road reserve land.
Meanwhile, RDA board chairperson Samuel Mukupa said the road works were essential to increase inter-economic activities between Zambia and Malawi.
Mr Mukupa said the movement of people between the two countries had been eased, shaming Government critiques preaching on the cliché ‘can Zambians eat roads?’.