Suburban
THE owners of Highland Park Mall being built at the intersection of Emmerson Mnangagwa Road (formerly Enterprise Road) and Arcturus Road in Highlands have installed two new traffic lights near the site of the mall to ensure smooth flow traffic along the two busy roads.
Diana Nherera Suburban Reporter
The traffic lights have been installed at the intersection of Emmerson Mnangagwa Road and Arcturus Road and on Arcturus Road close to the intersection, a move meant to ensure smooth flow of traffic as congestion had become the norm along the two roads.
City of Harare corporate communications manager Mr Michael Chideme said the traffic lights are in response to the development of Highland Park Mall that is happening at the intersection of Emmerson Mnangagwa Road and Arcturus Road.
“That is going to be a very busy area because of the shopping mall so the traffic lights have been put there to control the movement of traffic.
“The contractor who is doing the development has put those traffic lights,” he said.
Mr Chideme said there are number other intersections that the city is working on.
“But the major threat to the traffic lights that we put is vandalism.
“We have repaired and put new traffic lights at a number of intersections but they have been vandalised.
“People steal the installations, the batteries and solar panels.
“So our encouragement is for the community to be on guard and preserve this equipment because it is out there to serve their interests,” he said.
“New traffic lights for the intersection of Arcturus and ED Mnangagwa Roads at Highland Park Shopping Mall. The traffic lights will manage traffic and allow ease access into the mall site which is expected to open in June this year,” the City of Harare announced recently.
The Highland Park shopping mall will anchor the envisaged Emmerson Mnangagwa Development Corridor (previously known as the Enterprise Development Corridor).
A hospital and a hotel are also planned for the development corridor, which will change the view of the area as investors move to take advantage of the City of Harare’s decision to accord Emmerson Mnangagwa Road (formerly Enterprise Road), a development corridor status.
Harare recently reviewed local development plans to unlock and spur development. It identified various corridors which include the Emmerson Mnangagwa Development Corridor to create clusters of retail, office, high rise residential apartments, hotels and lodges among other developments.
The other corridors are Avondale-Sam Nujoma Street, Harare Civil Aviation of Zimbabwe Aerotropolis Export Processing Zone, Venturesburg Export Processing Zone in Sunway along Mutare Road, the Samora Machel Avenue East-West and Mukuvisi.
“New shopping mall coming. Investors taking advantage of the council decision to accord Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangwagwa Road a development corridor.
“Properties on the highway can be converted into commercial, creating employment and adding ambience to the city. The development is on the corner of Arcturus and Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa Roads.
“The landscape on the road will soon witness high rise buildings formerly a preserve of the CBD. Hotels are planned. Restaurants already decorate the landscape. A hospital will soon be opened along the corridor affording residents of the area ease access to a health facility,” the City of Harare announced on its official Twitter page in August last year.
Some leading retailers such as supermarket chain Pick n Pay have already announced they will be opening new outlets at the Highland Park Mall, according to roadside billboards. In fact, Pick n Pay is expected to be the anchor tenant at the new mall.
Terrace Africa are developing the Highland Park Mall. Terrace Africa is a property development company active in Sub-Saharan Africa. They have delivered on a strong pipeline of projects with a focus towards convenience and lifestyle retail.
They are currently active in South Africa, Zambia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. They provide a unique combination of solutions, with unsurpassed African insight and experience to deliver successful projects for retailers and customers alike.
They have secured an exciting pipeline of developments across Zimbabwe.
The construction of new shopping malls in a number of suburbs in the eastern part of Harare has drawn mixed reactions from residents of the areas with some saying it is a good development initiative while others are against the new business centres.
A number of shopping malls are currently under construction in Greendale along Montgomery Road, Chisipite and along Glenara Avenue.
Residents opposed to the new malls said the construction of these shops will result in increased water challenges which are already being faced by the city.
