. Saili
By SARAH TEMBO –
MORE than 50 kilometres of the Mansa-Luwingu Road has been tarred, Road Development Agency (RDA) senior public relations manager Loyce Saili has said.?
About 175 kilometres of the road has also been upgraded from gravel to bituminous standard.
The Mansa-Luwingu is one of the roads in the Link Zambia 8000 project.?
Ms Saili said the contractor, Chaina Henan, was ahead of schedule to complete the project because much of the work had been done in a short period of time.?
“We are happy with the work being done by China Henan, they are right on time and we think they will finish before the stipulated time,” she said on Tuesday in Luapula Province during the inspection of the ongoing road projects in the area.?
Ms Saili said the total project would cost US $206 million and that once completed, the road would provide a shorter link from Mansa in Luapula Province to Northern Province.?
RDA Luapula regional manager Gustone Meleki said the road would bring economic development to the area as it would be easier to transport goods from different parts of the country and abroad.?
Mr Meleki said the road would also help in the reduction of congestion on other roads which would also prolong the lifespan of most roads in the province.?
“The road will open up the province to other province and also help reduce on traffic on other roads,” he said.?
Meanwhile, Luapula Province assistant provincial secretary Joshua Kamanya thanked RDA for the massive road infrastructure development being undertaken in the province.?
He said most people in Luapula Province depended on agriculture but that they found it difficult to sell their produce due to the poor road network.
?Mr Kamanya said with the Mansa-Luwingu Road tarred, it would become easier to move from?Mansa to Kasama and Nakonde.?
“We are happy with the road works in the area, this shows how?committed the Government is to the development of all the provinces of this?country,” he said.?
Bari Zambia Limited resident engineer Mongit Saha said the road would have more than 170 concrete caviates.?
The road works started in 2013 and was expected to be completed in January 2017.
It is about 175 kilometres from Mansa to Luwingu.
?
