Beitbridge-Harare-Chirundu Highway

Objective

The existing two-lane road will be successively replaced by a dual carriageway, rehabilitated, widened by up to 12.5 m, and brought into line with international standards. The project also foresees the construction of a total of 17 toll stations, which represent an important future source of revenue for the maintenance of roads throughout the country.

Description

The Beitbridge-Harare-Chirundu Highway has immense strategic significance for the economic development of Zimbabwe. The highway not only handles a large proportion of the freight to South Africa, but is also an important part of the African North-South Corridor. Its bad condition, heavy traffic, and poor road safety record have increasingly become a serious problem for local economie

History

The extensive rehabilitation of the around 582 km section between Beitbridge and Harare and the partial widening of the roadway from 7 m to 12.5 m began in 2019. The project has had a troubled history. The contract for the work has been awarded previously to a European company that turned out to have minimal experience of construction work. The package of works was subsequently stripped from the firm amidst questions as to why it had been awarded in the first place.

Finance