Minister of Infrastructure, Housing Urban and Development Charles Milupi has announced that the New Dawn Government is working hard to ensure that the Lusaka-Ndola dual carriageway construction project commences by the end of the rainy season with a revised cost that is much less than the initial US$1.26 billion that was projected by the previous Patriotic Front (PF) Government.
In a post on his Facebook page, Mr. Milupi said that the government is not happy with the current state of that road and is working very hard to ensure that a number of roads around the country are worked on, but of uppermost importance, the United Party for National Development (UPND) government want to see that the Lusaka-Ndola dual-carriageway is done.
Mr. Milupi said the previous government wanted to do that road at a huge cost of US$1.26 billion, but ew Dawn government will do that road at a much lower cost, adding that progressively, a number of contractors are already approaching this government and expressed interest to work on that road at a cost lower than that.
Mr. Milupi further said that, currently, the government is hoping to deal with some preliminary procedures before works can commence on the Ndola-Lusaka dual carriageway project and promised that by the end of the rainy season people will begin to see bulldozers on the Lusaka-Ndola Road.
In June last year, the Road Development Agency (RDA) halted the construction of the road and attributed the stagnation on the $ 1.2 billion Lusaka/Ndola dual carriageway to financial constraints following a directive by the Ministry of Finance to postpone the construction on the project.
RDA Public Relations Manager Masuzyo Ndholvu said works on the Lusaka/Ndola will only commence once the debt situation improves in the country or when other funds are sourced for the project.
He told ZANIS in an interview that the 321-kilometer Lusaka-Ndola road project would include by-pass roads in Kabwe, Kapiri Mposhi, and the 45-kilometer Luanshya-Fisenge- Masangano Road.
He further noted that the contract to upgrade the Lusaka-Ndola dual carriageway was signed on May 31, 2017, and had been commissioned by then-President Edgar Lungu.
“To date, the contractor has carried out several preliminary activities such as setting up the construction camps site that is the preparation of designs, identified projects affected persons (PAPS) and Property and services that may require to be relocated to pave way for the construction works on the Lusaka –Ndola dual carnage way on the great north road (GNR),” Mr. Ndhlovu stated.
He said the road has direct economic benefits for the country such as direct revenue collection and support to local and regional economic activities.
He said the Lusaka/Ndola Dual Carriageway Project is expected to produce huge economic and social benefits to the people.
“The Agency is currently working on the other sections of the roads using the regional offices in Central and Copperbelt Province in order to maintain the road while waiting for the works to start on the project,’’ Mr. Ndholvu stated.
Give us your figure. We don’t want this nonsense of finger pointing when you start the works at the PF pegged cost.
Is it necessary to wait for the rain season to end in order to build roads in Zambia? Help understand why it has to be like this.
*…help me understand…*
#2 It’s not necessarily so. In the breath he says there preliminary issues to be dealt with… it’s not just rain I presume.
He says his govt will do it at a reduced cost and in the same breath he says contractors are approaching his govt meaning he doesn’t have a figure yet. He doesn’t state what happened to the main contractor who was initially awarded the contract. Who pays them for the stopping the project. Why is HH7 still letting his minister post ministerial statements via his personal social media page this is billions of taxpayers money we are talking about not his own company. The sleepy UPND should be aware that Chilupi is an alliance member so its paramount things are done professionally and above board …remember he too has his party interests.
This Govt is boring every time they open their mouth the take us back to PF standard. When is Vasco dagama going to set his own standard. Milupi is actually going to implement the PF road project. That they don’t mention because they are parrots. We need to see their 8th National Development plan. Or are they a chipante pante Govt?
Please construct this road quickly. The dual carriageway will save lives and will enhance the economy
This seems to be the only road that they keep redoing for the last 20 years . Hope someone could take up a project of building a dual carriage way from Livingstone to Solowezi. If this could be done, Zambia would be on its way to development.
Promise after promise after promise in opposition in government and everywhere.
Yaba! Awe sure! Change your name to United Party for National Empty Promises – UPNEP.
True, instead of just yapping, give us your figure. Also ensure that all the proposed features of that road are maintained or kept.
This does not look like a party or Government with guts to execute capital projects like its predecessor Government.
Too much pettiness.
Why and why is this Milupi so empty at details?
Pronouncements without details is like talking without facts.
I hope the project will be done at $ 600 000 per kilometre. After all day in day out during the period leading to the elections we were told UPND would be able to have roads constructed at no more than US$ 500 000 per kilometre .
RDA should have a road map for all roads in Zambia. After all they are called road development agency. Each province should have a motorway standard or dual carriageway as you call them. Lusaka should have an outer ring road where all these dual carriageways will link each other to avoid traffic cutting across the capital. Do a project plan and the government can choose the portions to work on and well-wishers or private individuals could be encouraged to pick sections for PPP. RDA’s role would be a maintenance one with supporting infrastructure such as service stations, police, lodges, restaurants etc. Not this one sided development aimed at empowering relatives. We need to start looking at each province as an equal in this development cake.
I doubt Milupi’s submission that the road will cost less than what PF would have spent. If in western corridor you are spending USD1.8M/KM and PF was willing to construct the Dual Carriageway at USD500,000/KM and UPND cried wolf. You are consistently inconsistent in policy implementation. Please grow up ba Honorable.
I wonder how much of that US 1.2 billion that Edgar China Lungu quoted would have ended up in his corrupt pockets???
By pass roads in Kapiri mposhi and Kabwe would make a lot of sense. It is a night mare passing through the central business districts of these towns
What a breath of fresh air to have UPND in power. Just imagine if PF had continued for another five years, just seat or stand still and imagine, just imagine
Milupi is fully aware of what he is doing. It would not be wrong to say he intends to stEal. Many contractors have approached us, he says. He is connected to such companies. The reason his explanations are not convincing. The game is no different from the way privatization was played.
Mutulangóma – PF were going to include hotels, shopping malls along that road bloating the expenditure and I doubt selfish corrupt lawless individuals like PF would deliver a road for half of what they were constructing for urban roads remember also that this is an upgrade. What the minister is not saying is that this road will be cheaper because it will punctuated with tollgates from Kabwe all the way to Ndola. I hope someone challenges the govt on toll gates in court as they have been charging people twice you dont put a toll gate on an existing road you build your own completely new shorter alternative road then mount a gate …hence the TOLL -GATE. eg in UK there is M1 Toll a completely new shorter route that branches out from the M1…a toll road will get you from Point A to C…
Point A to C without fasting through B.
Is it now the new way of doing things for contractors to approach the govt soliciting for contracts, rather than the normal and accepted way of govt floating tenders?
I smell corruption in the way Milupi is handling things.
I agree absolutely with Tarino Orange. If some preliminary works have been done by the original contractor, who is going to pay for them?
Lastly, please provide figures and not vague statements. If you are doing single lane roads in western province at inflated figures of $1.8M/ km, I wonder how you will do a dual carriage way at less than $500,000/km.
This must be treated as a priority project by the New Dawn Govt..too many lives lost on this road.Last time I travelled on it about a year ago,the road was an absolute death trap and not what one would expect in a country like Zambia 58 years after independence,especially when the road leads to the source of our wealth as a country.
There is NO NEED for the govt to get involved in the development of hotels,filling stations etc along the dual carriageway,that is for the private sector to invest in.That is one of the reasons why this project came with this monstrous cost under the PF.The Minister would be well advised to hold public outreach events with possible investors such as the Mount Merus,Engen,Puma,Protea Hotels,Shoprite,NAPSA,and other property developers etc for them to play…
This is the road that needs to look spaka i mean they should even consider putting interchange junctions at points that leads to other provinces. .. this country has to look good mayn..
We know how it owez works. Just like PF did on the MMD lower Kafue dam, the upnd will double the PF’s $1.2 billion. Watch the space. The roads announced in Western province are double the PF prices per kilometers. It’s eating time. Eating has started at Indeni. Now it’s roads. Next we wait to c