The Lusaka Decongestion Project – Redesign and Construction of Lusaka inner and outer roads

1. What’s the source of this story?

   1

   • Dr. Nervous Mumba!

   • This is good news. Some development at last to really convert Lusaka into a resident friendly city. Reading through the Lusaka Master Plan shows that we are 1 year late. This portion should have commenced in 2015/16 & covering 10 identified intersections & not just 8. It’s great start all the same. My favourite part of the master plan is the proposed park system, green network & environmental protection areas. If implemented Lusaka will become a stunning garden city. God Bless Zambia

   • INITIALLY, THIS PROJECT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE CARRIED OUT BY JAPAN. WHY WE HAVE OPTED FOR INDIA TO IMPLIMENT IT GOD JEHOVAH, KNOWS. I WOULD RATHER IT WAS IMPLEMENTED BY JAPAN. SIMILAR ARGUMENT CAN BE RAISED WHY ZAMBIA AIRWAYS IS BEING RE-INSTATED IN CONNECTION WITH RUSSIA WHO HAVE NO AIR SAFETY RECORD TO WRITE A BOOK ABOUT. FRANCE PROMISED TO HELP ZAMBIA TO RE-START THE NATIONAL FLAG CARRIER USING IT AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURING COMPANY AIRBUS TO BEEF UP ZAMBIA AIRWAYS AND TRAIN ALL TECHNICAL STAFF. THE WORST PART OF OUR GOVERNMENTS IS THAT THEY DON’T EXPLAIN TO PEOPLE WHY THEY ARE FAVOURING ONE OPTION OVER THE OTHER. SO, WHAT HAS GONE WRONG WITH JAPAN RE-DESIGNING LUSAKA ROAD NETWORK?

   • I AM NOT AGAINST THE IDEA OF INDIA RE-DESIGNING THE CITY OF LUSAKA ROADS. BUT, I AM NOT IN SUPPORT OF THE IDEA OF NOT EXPLAINING THE OPTIONS TO THE PUBLIC- THE SOLE OWNERS OF THE FINISHED PRODUCT. CAN’T THE GOVERNMENT START EXPLAINING TO PEOPLE WHY THEY ARE GOING TO DO THAT AND NOT THIS? I HUMBLY BELIEVE THAT THAT IS NOT TOO MJUCH TO ASK.

   • I HOPE THE RE-CONSTRUCTION OF THE RECENTLY BURNT LUSAKA CITY MARKET TAKES INTO CONSIDERATION THIS NEW LUSAKA ROAD NETWORK PLAN. OTHERWISE, LUSAKA CITY COUNCIL MUST RE-THINK THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE MARKET TO SOME OTHER PLACE, RATHER THAN, THE SAME PLACE. THE ROAD NETWORK TO DECONGEST LUSAKA AND JUST AS A MODEL FOR OTHER TOWNS IS A WELCOME IDEA. UNLESS THOSE WHO ARE EVER BENT ON HATE AND BITTERNESS FOR ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING. MIND YOU, MORE JOBS FOR OUR PEOPLE AND OTHER POSITIVE RIPLE-EFFECT OUTCOMES.

   • Anyone who knows journalism or Logic knows what you are asking about. Some fuuls have decided to down vote you without applying their minds to the issue. A story has to be SOURCED otherwise any Jim and jack would create anything from their heads and present it as an occurrence when it happened only in their heads.
     Good example: Mushota’s fantastic qualifications. They can’t be proved but they regularly feature on LT leaving the reader wondering do they exist outside her head! The newsreader must not be left wondering.

2. This is what needs to be done to ensure that the country’s future generation is secured.

   • No pee pee pee!!!! Boring. Lusaka will be so quite as if its permanent State of emergency.

3. Looks good add more images so that we can vote

4. Roundabouts are old fashioned and will not ease traffic as intended. You need a better design than this. Did EIZ and the citizens have any input in the design? Don’t you ask for proposals from the general public? Was a competitive tender process carried out? This sounds single-sourced which is abuse of office! You need multi layered fly- over bridges like the Flyover in Los Angeles, California for example which can be constructed in less than the amount being quoted. We need transparency in these processes!

   • Sad that you can come out the way you have. do we have to ask the general public for every decision like designing the road? I think the right people are doing what they can. if you are a good engineer, then go to the ministry with a sample of what you think is good given the funds

   • @ Alex et al, it’s difficult to convince Zambians on anything because they love mediocrity and enjoy to be cheated! Continue dreaming!

   • @Alex! Travel the world. What Kaffar is talking about is the truth. Roundabouts are old fashioned. Go to Cairo, Algiers, California, Delhi and check how modern roads are constructed to decongest traffic in these cities.

   • Multi layered flyover bridges? Does Lusaka NEED them? Los Angeles does need them because it has 10 times the traffic. You don’t do something because others have done it. It should be a necessity

   • KAFFAR, YOU ARE RIGHT. SOME OF THESE THINGS ARE OLD FASHIONED. SOMETIMES, THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE ASKING THE GENERAL PUBLIC FOR CERTAIN INPUTS TO AVOID TO AVOID THINGS WHICH ARE ALREADY OUT OF PLACE. THERE ARE A LOT OF EXPOSED AND HIGHLY EDUCATED ZAMBIANS WHO CAN ADVICE THE GOVERNMENT ON WHAT TO LOOK FOR FROM CONTRACTORS OF PUBLIC PROJECTS.

   • Roundabouts are alien to Americans …they dont know how to use them!!

   • when i looked at the pic,i wondered if this design is of 21 century,this design cant decongest traffic in lusaka,plse don away with roundabouts,construct roundabouts in rural areas and residential places

5. Good work and keep up the development for our future generations

6. It will be an expensive undertaking, but I believe Lusaka badly needs that Facelift as a city. It is just what it is in all modern cuties. Currently Lusaka road network is not up to a modern city grade.

7. A lot Drunken Zambian drivers will be falling off the deck!!

   • Initially there will be a lot of cars flying in the air, i fear for lives who will be in danger.

   • My worry is those dedicated bus lanes…how can you have such when PSV drivers are not even properly trained

8. Agreed. Roundabouts on busy roads or highways are a thing of the past. If anything they contribute to traffic congestion. Offrumps and under/fly over bridges are better. Remove that round about.

9. I disagree with just extending roads leading to a roundabout to 6 lanes. Its not lanes that are a problem, its the roundabout junction. The solution is to creat fly_over bridges on all current roundabouts it lusaka. As long as roundaouts remain nothing will change. Cairo road roundabouts both need to go. The ones on arcades needs to go. The robots on mandahill mall should go and a flyover (on the great east road & other roads should pass under). In conclusion people lusaka, like the whole country, should learn that 90 degree junctions are the bottle necks. Modern engineers are doing away with them. Intersections in modern road engineering is left lane joining at at about 45 degrees and flyover for those going straight

   • Agreed, bwana Hon Vincent change course in your endeavour as advised above.

10. Great start. Lets roll!!!!

11. Im tired of seeing these artist’s impressions of these inexistent Lusaka roads since Chiluba’s time. Why don’t you just wake up one day and begin constructing them?

    • They have found another EXIM BANK loan from India where they are proudly contributing 15% of $200+ to decongest their own traffic…stupidity at its best!!

    • @vilify, fund the projects and you will have them tomorrow! Planning the growth and improvement of a city and sourcing funding for such projects takes time (years to be specific.)

12. Am sure that half of the cost of this project will go to compensating and resettling owners of infrastructure built illegally on road reserve areas due to poor planning and illegal allocation of plots mostly for political expedience. It explains why our country remains poor. Had we been disciplined and stuck to original plans and law and order, this cost of resettlement and corruption could have built more good roads elsewhere in Zambia

    • Highly unlikely and impossible.. look at Ndola airport project where they gave peanuts in resettlement arrangements fees to locals.

    • @12 Consensus, agreed, most of those that have built close to the road on “road reserves” especially along Alick Nkhata Road are rich and sometimes international organizations so they will not just go away with their building destroyed, just like that!! @ 12.1 Jay Jay, the Ndola Airport saga involved peasant with no voice so they sadly lost, just like that!

13. how about the Prof chirwa design>> too much talk than action

14. “This is a project co-financed by GRZ (15%) and Exxim Bank of India (85%). It will take 36 months to complete.”
    Surely where do these lazy empty tins take all the money…why can you not contribute 50% to decongest you own mess? Here is another project for Indian Engineers and companies…useless Zambians will only contribute lobourers and payback with interest then sing praises to the govt!!

    • And where do you come in. You are worse than those laborers who will employed as flag wavers. Get out of your arm chair and do something 1mbecile. You are wasting energy which can be used to push a wheelbarrow cretin.

    • I am a Zambian and I pay tax through various ways from real estate, to money transfers, business etc…I am a stakeholder…you see nothing wrong in EXIM Bank Loans as you are as dull as the leaders you ignorantly bootlick…

15. Comment: CHIKUBABE SEASON, surprisingly these upnd fail to see any good in what the pf are doing, even the gaining of kwacha was seen as an enemy of progress, the only thing the rejoice in is the death of ba SATA and the burning of city market….I mean what do you expect.breaker

    • Is this a PF project or government? Why bring in UPND? The cost will be borne by all zambian taxpayers regardless of their political affiliation. Stop politicising everything you retards.

16. It’s a Japan funded project!
    Do we ever have own money to do our projects.
    We are beggars always

    • Last week Indian President and Japanese PM signed agreements to up investments in Africa as its the new frontier for them…they want your resources like the Chines, you people (docile dumb Africans) are simply pawns on a chess board!!

17. A GOOD DEVELOPMENT INDEED, BUT FROM THE ARTICLE: “What are some of the salient features of the project?1. The total road works is 120.7 km with dedicated bus lanes on the middle of the road”. NOW THIS LOOKS LIKE POTENTIAL FOR MORE CONGESTION, BUSES IN THE MIDDLE WHEN THEY WANT TO STOP SO REGULARLY TO DROP AND PICK CUSTOMER?? Are there areas where A BROKEN DOWN VEHICLE CAN BE TOWED OR PUSHED FROM THE DECK(UPPER ROAD) to avoid congestion? WHAT ABOUT SOME PROVISIONS FOR PEDESTRIANS AND CYCLISTS?

    • A bus lanes are there to reduce traffic via PSV buses driven by Professional Bus Drivers not Drunk Kaponyas in little modified Toyota Hiace death traps…now is the time to tightened legislation and clean up PSV driver training and retraining…..

18. Hon Mulusa can go to Ngabwe alone.

19. @ bwafya what do you understand by dedicated lane…if the congestion will occur it will be for the buses only… understand

20. PF leaders means business!!if this project is implemented,Lusaka City shall look very modern!!with these kind of wise leaders in office, in 2021 they may go through unopposed!!KEEP IT UP H.E EDGAR LUNGU!!WE ARE BEHIND YOU AND YOUR HARD WORKS WILL BE HIGHLY APPRECIATED ON VOTING DAY IN 2021!!Ignore critics in opposition and just keep your eyes on the ball (developmental projects across Zambia)!!!
    Its clear now that ECL is totally different from some previous presidents who had a habit of stopping big projects after winning elections and only resurfaced towards next elections!!IF ECL’S PF CONTINUES LIKE THIS,2021 ELECTIONS WILL BE 100% WON BY THEM!!

21. it pains to see the greed and selfishness of our leaders..agony and total loss to them. May they never taste or see their labors.

22. I’m planning to relocate to the capital……proud to be part of this project. Haters will hate. Say what you may, 2021 is water under the bridge.

23. This is a wonderful project. But when is Solwezi-Chingola road going to be finished

24. If the same idea were to be done by a person who store privatization funds or benefited greatly from them, hypothetically, if he could have been doing the projects that this government is doing, they would be praising him not for anything but because he is TOnga! Alas! These guys will never acknowledge that this government has achieved beyond expectaion! Mr. President and your team, please continue to do good! Leave them alone! They have an evil agenda from an Evil One.

25. Look at #17, he is still dreaming in Tonga!

26. It seems Hazaluza Hagain!

27. Wow,this is proper sonta epo wabomba..

28. I can see some zebra crossing on one of the pics. Am not sure if its a good idea to have a pedestrian crossing on a highway. That will create congestion in that section and that’s the very problem they are trying to solve. They should modify that design by creating underground tunnels for people intending to cross. Traffic should flow freely with very minimal stops, then this concept will make sense.

29. The chakolwas and tuntemba people will now find new abode to sell and to pee underneath these flyovers.No way our roads and town centers will ever look that clean.

    And yes,get rid of roundabouts they’re a relic of the past and they create traffic backlog.

30. PF at work. Only a bitter and dull person can complain here. Thanks PF for thinking ahead.

31. Some serious flaws in the design. Bus lanes in the middle? Are these buses not expected to have bus stops?If indeed you will have bus stops in the middle, are you expected to cross a busy road just to catch your bus? I hope the flyovers are dual carriage with barriers on the central reservation to segregate on coming traffic. Incorporating alternative transport systems such as light rail or trams would have a much bigger impact on congestion than simply making roads bigger. The M25 in the UK is a classic example. This plan will pollute and make the city even more congested in the long run. One wonders if Zambia’s strange architectural designs come from the same person?

    • Iwe, M25 has light rail and trams now? At which points?
      Anyway, the point is constantly improving. Even UK roads are constantly upgraded to meet the demands of the growing traffic. For example, the North circular road was being improved just before the Olympics of 2012, and various roads and intersections are constantly being upgraded. The M1, M4, M6, etc were all not built that way, but keep improving.
      This is a step in the right direction and must be applauded, taking into account some useful adjustments as stated by several posts above, mainly traffic circles (roundabouts).

    • Chizungu! The key word is congestion. M25 expansion did not resolve the congestion problem, in fact it made it worse. The best way to deal with road congestion is to look at alternative modes of transport Rather than just looking at expansion. Most modern cities have trams, underground and extensive bus networks which offer lasting solutions to congestion.

32. This long overdue and progressive. Let the government take into consideration the modifications that are being suggested such as elimination of roundabouts and bus lanes in the middle and we will have a good network in our city. Keep it up PF although i am not PF. I would have loved us to begin moving to trams and tube if possible.

33. This is good development, lets support one another in this one, Lusaka is heavily congested. however the president need to make sure that monitoring is effective for we have a lot of MPs, Ministers and other government officials who are too corrupt.

34. Well if the source of this story is good then we should be all pleased because we ALL KNOW, Lusaka as a Capital City is a mess. We should all beat a path to find out more details from the Ministry.

    This will improve the look of Lusaka and be good for Tourism, especially if we have aggressive CLEAN UP OF LUSAKA! The traffic congestion just cannot continue, it’s so unhealthy. I agree with Peter, we need to understand who the engineers are. I expect India because they are fronting the funding. But JAPAN is superior transport matters and should have been chosen.

    • Not too long ago there was report of a collapsing bridge in India.

    • No confidence.

35. Hazalua Hagain!

36. ummmmm you are liars, i was just in china last year for education upgrades, roundbouts are still very much alive and not old fashioned, you dont even know wht you are saying.

37. and its not a japanese funded project but indian, the way you debate as if u have even put a coin on it, thats how dunderheads are, good at complaining but what have you contributed to the nation urselves.?

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