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