. Saili

By CHUSA SICHONE –
THE Road Development Agency (RDA) is optimistic that the ongoing overhaul of the Great East Road will bring economic benefits to the country.
RDA senior public relations manager Loyce Saili said this after touring the Great East Road works from Luangwa Bridge to Nyimba, whose progress currently stands at 40 per cent.
The Great East Road is being rehabilitated from Luangwa Bridge to Mwami border by two contractors on a stretch of about 360 kilometres demarcated into four sections at different costs funded by the Government, European Union, African Development Bank and EIB.
Mota-Engil is working on the first section from Luangwa Bridge to Nyimba covering about 98 kilometers at a cost of 37.1 million euros.
The same contractor is working on the Sinda to Mutenguleni (95.5 kilometres) section at a cost of 43.3 million euros and the 50.39 kilometres stretch from Mutenguleni to Mwami border worth 37 million euros.
Conudril, on the other hand, is working on the 114-kilometre stretch from Nyimba to Sinda at a cost of 47.9 million euros.
“Considerable progress has been made. Of course there are challenges also. On the first section, the contractor has paved approximately 32 kilometres and on the second section, the contractor has paved also about 30 kilometres and the last section, we are talking about 23 kilometres which has been paved,” she said.
“That is the sort of thing that we want to see as a client. The Government is investing huge sums of money in these road projects. These are not cheap projects, they are very expensive projects and the people of Zambia expect to get value for money. I think from what we have seen, we are confident that we will get value for money,” Ms Saili said.
The 32 kilometres paved with asphalt on the Luangwa Bridge to Nyimba stretch encompasses ancillary works such as drainage and guard rails.
Mota-Engil has employed about 500 local people to carry out the works at various levels.
Ms Saili said the full length of the road was going to have reflective studs, besides line markings, and that some sections of the road had been realigned to avoid sharp curves which were cited as the major cause of road accidents.
She cited inconsistent supply of cement and encroachment as some of the challenges the contractors had faced but was happy that they were making progress despite facing such difficulties in the two years of implementing the project.