Cabinet has approved the construction of the new Luangwa Bridge across the Luangwa River in Luangwa district at an estimated cost of US$75.5 million.
This was during the first Cabinet meeting in 2022 held yesterday, 8th February 2022.
In a statement obtained to the media, Chief Government Spokesperson, Chushi Kasanda says government will contribute approximately US$7.5 million as counterpart funding while funding from external sources is estimated to be US$67.95 million coming from the Government of Japan through JICA.
Ms. Kasanda says the construction of the new Luangwa bridge is in order to increase the traffic capacity in the Nacala Corridor to facilitate the distribution of goods and movement of passengers in the country and neighboring countries, and thereby contribute to the economic growth and industrial revitalization of the country and neighboring countries.
She says Cabinet took note that the current bridge has been in use for more than 50 years from the time it was constructed in 1968, and that the maximum weight of vehicles that can currently pass through the bridge is limited to 55 tons while the maximum speed is limited to 30km per hour.
Ms. Kasanda adds that currently, only a single heavy goods vehicle is allowed to pass at any given moment, stressing that the existing bridge has therefore proved to be a bottleneck for traffic traveling on Great East road.
Cabinet also approved the establishment of the Zambia National Committee on the Prevention of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and all forms of discrimination, the introduction of a bill in Parliament to amend the Public Roads Act no.12 of 2002 in order to include provisions that will provide protection of the property of the Road Development Agency, and the introduction of a bill in parliament to amend the National Housing Authority Act, CAP 195 of 1971.
This is meant to protect NHA property and also find ways through which the original setup of the institution could be brought back to the fore.
Zambian govt how can you contribute only 10 % of construction costs to a bridge that you will be using?
How important is Luangwa Bridge? i thought one Minister said that the roads in the Eastern Province are useless or maybe to say Easterners are not important. (Luangwa bridge to the East Hahahaha! Mfulumende)
Alot of corruption involved here. I am disappointed in my good friend kasanda. You will always be the beautiful one who I had but couldn’t have for life. Love and heartache
Fendelani uko tisebenzeko.
Lungu and his gang would have quoted $150 million………..
Way to go. But please desist from saying roads leading to no where. All roads are important and all Zambians are deserving of infrastructure. The districts that have been established in the last twenty years still lack infrastructure to contribute effectively to the national basket. I would like one to pint to a road that leads to nowhere that has been constructed? Development should benefit and cover every Zambian.
Can someone mark my words!! It will not be finished before the next election or if it is finished, it will collapse and kill people.
Where is this bridge going to be constructed? Not clear in the story though it says in Luangwa district. Which part North of south of the current bridge. Anything south of the current bridge would not be very helpful in optimizing the transportation of goods and services into the Port of Nicala in Mozambique –The deepest in Africa. As many studies have shown the optimal position for bridge construction is between Petauke and Serenje. That will also key into the 2.3bn$ contract the PF Government signed with the Chinese to link the eastern rail route into Mozambique with Tazara in Serenje. With a bridge between Petauke and Serenje Lusaka province becomes decongested as Copper belt, north western and northern parts of Zambia traffic to the east reroutes through it bypassing Lusaka. I hope…
Project brain Child of ECL.
Agreement signed in 2018 after visit by ECL to Japan. Feasibility studies done by Japanese Engineers.
Project to be funded by JICA.
Complete the PF Project.
Feasibility studies done by Japanese Engineers in 2019. This is a running PF project which started in 2018 at the Afro – Japanese Fair and the agreement finalised during state visit by former President ECL.
The record should be put very clear.
How do you approve a running project?
The Cabinet agreed to continue with the Construction of the Luangwa Bridge pursuant to the Bilateral agreement made between the Japanese Govt and the Republic of Zambia in 2018. This is more representative of the true situation.
*Feasibility studies done by Japanese Engineers in 2019. This is a running PF project which started in 2018 at the Afro – Japanese Fair and the agreement finalised during state visit by former President ECL.
The record should be put very clear.
How do you approve a running project?
The Cabinet agreed to continue with the Construction of the Luangwa Bridge pursuant to the Bilateral agreement made between the Japanese Govt and the Republic of Zambia in 2018. This is more representative of the true situation.
@Zombie get over it man, govts come and go and they are put there to work for the people with a finite mandate. So it should not be like oh… its actually the Beit Trust which built the bridge in 1932…. or oh you did not mention that it is KK who rebuilt it after the Selous Scouts blew it up in 1978… eish!