Road construction work between Maputo and Ponta do Ouro in Mozambique has begun.

Reports suggest that the road will comprise two lanes on the Catembe side – as far as Ponta do Ouro – a distance of around 110km. At kilometre 100, the road will have a detour of 9 or 10 kilometres to reach the border with South Africa.

There are also plans to build another two-lane road between Bela Vista and Boane, which will be about 63km long.

The construction work comes with at estimated cost of $780 million, obtained by Mozambique through loans granted by China. The construction project is being undertaken by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), which has completed 3km of road foundation between Bela Vista and Catembe.

Work is expected to be completed by December 2017.