The highway linking Plumtree and Mutare is now set for dualisation between Harare and Bulawayo as Government’s Infralink Project changes scope from rehabilitation only.

Infralink is a joint venture between the Zimbabwe National Road Administration and Group Five International of South Africa.

The project seeks to rehabilitate the highway linking Plumtree, Bulawayo, Harare and Mutare.

Zinara has a 70 percent shareholding in the joint company while Group Five International owns 30 percent.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Infrastructural Development Mr cconfirmed that the Government was now seeking additional funding from the Development Bank of

Southern Africa for the dualisation project.

He said Ministers Nicholas Goche (Transport) and Tendai Biti (Finance) met DBSA officials to work on modalities of additional funding.

“Yes I can confirm that the two ministers met with officials from DBSA last month seeking additional funding for that project.

“In principle they (DBSA) are sympathetic to the project but there is no agreement that has been reached yet since negotiations are still going on.”

Mr Mbiriri said DBSA was a regional bank with the capacity to fund dualisation of the road linking Harare and Bulawayo.

Zinara chief executive officer Mr Frank Chitukutuku also confirmed the dualisation development.

He said changes to the project followed a request by President Mugabe that the highway be dualised.

“His Excellency, the President has requested that the Infralink Project, which involves the rehabilitation of the Plumtree-Mutare Highway, must be dualised from Harare to Bulawayo,” he said.

“I am pleased to disclose that the Minister of Transport, Communications and Infrastructural Development Nicholas Goche and Minister of Finance Tendai Biti have already met with top officials from the Development Bank of Southern Africa about additional funding for the project.

“As technical people, we are now working on the Project Information Memorandum and the financial model.

“It is good news that our two cities will now be linked by a dual highway. Therefore, the Infralink Project is now a dualisation project not just a rehabilitation project.”

Mr Chitukutuku said equipment worth R100 million and which will be used to construct the highway was already in Bulawayo.

The equipment included a recycler, chip spreaders and computerised brushes.

The recycler is the first of its kind in Zimbabwe and has a capacity to rip off a stretch of the old tarmac and reconstruct it on the same day.

The road can be used the following day.

Group Five International brought the equipment from Germany.

Zinara had initially secured US$206,6 million from DBSA for rehabilitation and widening of the road linking the two border towns.

The rehabilitation and widening programme was expected to be complete in 36 months.

Meanwhile, preparatory work for the actual upgrading of the highway such as pothole patching, crack sealing and levelling of depressions is already underway in Plumtree.

Zinara engineer for Southern region Engineer Moses Juma said the new road will be resurfaced to become the first modern highway in Zimbabwe conforming to the Sadc protocols.

He said the highway will have nine world class toll plazas to recoup money used during construction.

The Infralink Project is the largest monetary investment into a single infrastructural development in the past 12 years.

Source: allAfrica.com