Suburban
RESIDENTS in the city’s eastern suburbs have raised concern over huge potholes along Harare Drive between Drew Road and ED Mnangagwa Road (formerly Enterprise Road) intersection.
Ivan Zhakata Suburban Reporter
One of the concerned residents from Highlands expressed disgust over the increasing number of potholes while the existing ones were deepening making driving on that stretch of the road cumbersome.
The residents blamed council for putting road users at risk of accidents by its failure to maintain roads.
“The potholes on the stretch of Harare Drive are very deep and in both lanes. Unsuspecting lorries driving at night (illegally) are almost crashing into the wall of the house on the left at the bottom of the incline after passing Enterprise Road. The occupants of this property have said there is a serious accident waiting to happen.
“I visited Highlands council offices and spoke to someone at the Department of Works who promised to fix the problem. Another load of a mixture of bricks/sand was duly delivered.
“The condition of the road is now worse. A further appeal was made directly to the Director of Works, promises were made and nothing was delivered,” said the resident.
In 2020, Borrowdale West residents had to collaborate with their local council to patch potholes ahead of the rainy season making them passable.
The exercise saw the residents donating materials and resources in the form of asphalt and equipment for the repairs while council provided transport and labour.
The residents said one of the reasons behind the road damages were residents who were unknowingly blocking the drainage systems trying to beautify the front of their yards.
In the same year, Greendale residents patched potholes on the traffic circle along Court Road, which was slowly becoming a danger to road users.
Residents singled out Court Road as one of the most dangerous roads in the suburb as it was pothole ridden while at the same time being a busy road, which leads to Courtney Selous Primary School.
The residents offered quarry dust while council provided labour for the patching of the potholes.
The quarry was enough to cover more roads in the suburb and this saw potholes patched along Shaneragh Road, Glenconner Road and Balgowan Road with more roads set to be repaired.
The road repairs initiative was a result of the various projects which are being undertaken by the Greendale Ratepayers and Residents Association to develop their neighbourhood through cooperation with Harare City Council.
Government has since intervened to help councils repair roads under the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme (ERRP), which is already underway and will continue next year.
The State funding will see potholes being patched on major roads, improving major intersections such as the Lomagundi (Nemakonde) and Harare Drive, filter lanes added to Solomon Mujuru (formerly Kirkman Road) and improve the Harare Drive/Mutare Road traffic circle through adding filter lanes.
Filter lanes are also expected to be added to the Westgate roundabout on Lomagundi Road while Solomon Mujuru will also be widened in Mabelreign as well as Alpes Road in Borrowdale.
Traffic lights will be installed on Harare Drive and Acturus Roads, Enterprise and Ridgeway South and Mutare and Donnybrook Roads.
The money that had been allocated for the Harare Drive and Gaydon Road intersection will be allocated to other roads.
The money had been allocated for traffic lights but residents and council have since built a traffic circle.
Ward 9 Councillor and Acting Harare Mayor Stewart Mutizwa recently told journalists that council had been allocated $400m for road rehabilitation under devolution funds.
He said the city had so far received $46m of the money to be shared with Chitungwiza Municipality, Ruwa and Epworth Local Boards with Harare getting the biggest chunk.
Council recently started patching potholes on some roads in the city which include Solomon Mujuru Drive, Mutare Road (Msasa area), Samora Machel Avenue, Robert Mugabe Road, the stretch of Bulawayo Road close to the National Heroes Acre and Glenara Avenue.
