The Road Development Agency (RDA) has awarded a KR562 million contract to Sino Hydro Zambia Limited for the construction of more than 45 kilometres (km) of the dual carriageway between Kitwe and Chingola on the Copperbelt province.
RDA Director Bernard Chiwala said the contract will be undertaken within 24 months from the date of execution and the contractor is expected to mobilize within 60 days.
Mr. Chiwala stated that the scope of the work will be to construct among other things an entirely new south bound road on the existing road, new junctions and drainage structures and a new bridge over Mwambashi river more than 12 km from Kitwe.
He was speaking at the signing of the contract in Lusaka today.
He expressed happiness at the awarding of the contract saying the project will translate into several benefits among them enhanced safety features, improved carrying capacity and ease of transportation.
Mr. Chiwala said the Kitwe-Chingola road was a vital road link forming part of north-south corridor but has recently seen a reduced carrying capacity due to increased mining activities.
And Mr. Chiwala has disclosed that as part of the government’s link Zambia 8000 project, RDA will be awarding another contract at the end of the month for the design of the Lusaka-Kapiri dual carriage way following the evaluation of tenders.
He added that the contract was for phase one (1) of the entire road link from Lusaka to Kapiri Mposhi with phase two (2) for the Kapiri Mposhi to Ndola dual carriageway to be awarded by the end of August this year 2013.
Mr. Chiwala affirmed that the link Zambia 8000 project underlined government’s intention to empower Zambians through the creation of the much needed employment of about 24,000 people, especially for youths.
And Kitwe City Mayor Chileshe Bweupe said the signing of the contract to construct the Kitwe-Chingola road marks a milestone for the people of Kitwe who have been calling for the road to be done for many years now.
Mr. Bweupe disclosed that about 20 lives were lost on the same road last year alone with more than 50 injured adding that those statistics stand to reduce once the road is improved.
And Sino Hydro Zambia Limited Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Liu Benjiang said his company was happy to be given the contract and pledged to excel in its work as this was the first time the company was working in Zambia.
Mr. Benjiang stated that the company will devote its expertise and advanced equipment to provide a high quality road that will benefit the country socially and economically.
ZANIS
Oh my ! This is good news indeed.I remember talking about how dangerous that road is and how it has claimed many lives.Thanks Pf…we can`t thank you enough.You are on good course.Thumbs up !!!
Naine nalundapo. Thank you GRZ!
This is how we expect our tax money to be used for.
When people cry for services that improve the quality of life for the people, they must be provided.
This is what it means to have a responsible and responsive govt.
Can you extend the same type of road network to all roads linking provinces across the country?
GUNDIXY why are you thanking Government?? Its their job to do exactly that. You can thank them if they(government) say they wont deduct any tax from your salary this month
Sending positive energy so that this road is constructed properly and in a timely manner.
long overdue.
let the contractor move on sight quickly as this road has now become another hell run
its now extremely dangerous driving on this road.
thumbs up, its about time they did something about those roads, so many innocent live being lost, epashili pkuleka
Sino Hydro Zambia Limited; this is a subsidiary of the Chinese Sino Hydro Group…they are getting all they big contracts!!
This is very good news, too many people have died on this road.Congratulations PF government.Pls consider Solwezi -Chingola road after KIitwe-Chingola road its equally very dangerous.
This is good. However my concern is a lack of deliberate policy and implementation in ensuring small zambian contractors benefit from this contracts.the chinese will nevet sub contract work to zambians.tjey will do everything.RDA seems not to have the competence to ensure 20 PETCENT OF THIS WORKS GO TO LOCALS.was is yamfwa mkanga who seriuos advocated for this.lets walk the talk. A road is not an end in iyself. We can empower people further thru a deliberate act for them to participate. Road construction is not rocket science. Is the banks that cant borrow money yo the locald to buy plant.somebody read
Why not giving it to a local contractor SABLE? Giving chinese again is making these tuma choncholi more powerful
Zambian contructors have been the wors perfomers, in as much as i would want most of the contructs to be given to the local contructors, they should be able to perform to the satifaction of the Zambian people, if they can’t they wont be given any contructs.
Iwe Sable do not complete their road projects.They keep dragging until the money runs out.Sable took more then 5 years to work ok Kasama-Luwingu road.I dont know if they have finished Chipata-Mfuwe road.Sable constractors are MMD sponsors and they were using road constructs to syphone money from the government for the MMD.
Sable is not good enough…..everybody knows that in Zambia, personally I’m not worried who does it as long as the tax payer’s money is put to good use with good end products(brilliant roads).
Ulichipuba sana iwe chi colour. dont you know that these sable *****s have been struggling to construct kasama mporokoso road. Wemwana wambwa iwe, u even have the audacity to mention sable
Please mwebama altezza kuichindika in this dual carriage way, we dont want to find you & you car hanging in some tree
Where has phoenix gone?? It ushered us into brilliant roads which last longer it must be said
Dont forget about the Solwezi-Chingola road, please, PF. There is too much traffic on that strecth too.
@. Phoenix went to Rwanda via Mpulungu port mu chifukushi. MMD govt was not paying them for their hardwork. @ Mandingo, minister of Works and Supply recently announced that GRZ had found money for Chingola Solwezi dual carriage way. But as you know, we start with feasibility studies and tendering and…so next year boss.
Brilliant news, hope and pray all goes well so we can have less accidents on them roads….
Thank you RDA, twalumba,twatotela,asante sana,twasanta bingi,twataizya.while! at long last.
Why are you thanking them for doing their job?? Do you thank your maid too for doing her work ???
I thought the contract for phase 1 of the Lusaka – Kapiri Dual Carriage way was supposed to be awarded on the 28th February?!
Guess i was mistaken
Yes!!!!!!!! PF is full of Innovations…..but Please PF, tell this contractor to start puting up sings and let him check the conditions of the areas under construction,because i believe there are many obstacles along the many road.Things like residential houses,farms and shops.So how is he going to handle everyone with a structure along side kitwe road?
Good work PF Govt. This will again send more diarrhea shivers into the anti-development opposition until their breathe runs out rushing to C/Wealth to protest against development in the name of human rights abuse in Zambia. They have lost popularity and are now using human rights abuse as a scapegoat. They are allergic to development.
This is real progress indeed. My only concern is regarding delivery periods of these huge projects. E.g 45 kms in 24 months translates into almost 2 kms of road network completed in a month. Now including the bridge!!!!. I have seen bridges where I am staying being done in not less than 6 months. Please can some one educate me how these completion periods are being calculated.
Amen! Ocock, Dan and all the people who died on this road can now RIP.
This is good. However, let the government enforce the already existing labour laws.
It will be folly to see the expatriates driving dumpers, welding, bricklaying like what happened during the construction of the New Smelter in Chingola. Let the expatriate come and help where we fail short but not these kinds of work that a Zedian is able to push a wheelbarrow, manually mix concrete pulp and drive the trucks and buses around
I work for sable
‘
The quality is poor they don’tay salaries on time the accountant Balance is a useless guy partial to some Indians only. They HIV not finished work got I mmd time. Good they were not given contract
Sorry accountant is Bala
DONCHI!!!
I can wait to see a dual carriage way from Lusaka to my home town Kapiri and then to Ndola. What a relief this will be. Kapiri as at now is planing a bypass road on the western side of town and the replanting of a connector road from the weigh bridge to the west joining the bypass. if RDA did their home work, it would serve us from planning and re-planning. thank God and the PF