Suburban
Ward 18 residents are thrilled with the road rehabilitation programme which is continuing in the area with a private company undertaking repairs on Luna and Umwinsidale Roads.
Peter Tanyanyiwa Suburban Reporter
Last week, Fossil contracting issued a statement advising residents that roadworks had commenced on Luna Road and Umwinsidale Road.
“Residents please be advised that there will be a rehabilitation project for Lunar and Umwinsidale Road commencing on the 19th of July 2021. In the course of the project some properties and activities for ZETDC, TelOne, City of Harare, Baldmin Holdings, local residences, Crowhill junction carwash, flower market and Borrowdale Ratepayers and Residents Association properties will be affected,” read the statement from Fossil contracting.
Residents confirmed that roadworks had started on Lunar and Umwinsidale Roads, and they were excited that this positive development may ease traffic congestion in the ward.
“Opening Luna Road and Umwinsidale Road up nicely will allow traffic from Crowhill area, Crowhill Road, Luna Road and Hogerty Hill an alternative route through to Enterprise Road (now called Emmerson Mnangagwa Road) and then into town instead of using Borrowdale Road. This should alleviate some traffic issues being experienced,” said BRRA committee member Mrs Pat Townsend.
Fossil Contracting is widening and resurfacing Luna Road and Umwinsidale Road. Residents are hoping the rehabilitation programme will also continue and extend to Borrowdale Road up to its intersection with Luna Road.
In May, council indicated that some of the city’s roads will be funded under the Government funded Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme (ERRP).
As part of the programme, pothole patching was supposed to be carried out on Prince Edward, Connaught and King George Roads at a cost of US$45 750, 00 under ERRP.
In September this year, there will be a junctions’ improvement on Lomagundi Road (now called Nemakonde) and Harare Drive at a cost of US$48 800, 00.
Filter lanes will be added to Kirkman Road (now called Solomon Mujuru) and Harare Drive and the widening on lanes on Kirkman Road at a cost of US$120 000.
This will be done under phase three of the ERRP in January next year.
Filter lanes and space that will make the roundabout bigger are expected to be added on the Harare Drive and Mutare Road roundabout.
The project’s cost is US$1 250 000 and will be included in ERRP’s Phase 3 in January next year.
Filter lanes are expected to be added to the Westgate roundabout on Lomagundi Road in January next year at a cost of US$280 000 under ERRP’s phase three.
Widening of Kirkman Road in Mabelreign and Alpes Road in Borrowdale will carried out next year at a cost of US$6 175 000, 00 and US$4 125 000,00 respectively.
The projects will be carried out under ERRP 2 phase 3 budget.
Traffic lights will be installed on Harare Drive and Arcturus Roads, Enterprise and Ridgeway South and Mutare and Donnybrook Roads.
Harare Drive and Gaydon Road intersection was listed among those needing traffic lights but since a roundabout was already built, the money will be allocated to other roads.
Acting Harare Mayor Councillor Stewart Mutizwa told journalists that council had been allocated RTGS$400m for road rehabilitation under devolution funds.
He said the city had so far received RTGS$46m.
“The money we received from devolution funds varies from one area to the other.
“For money for roads, so far we have received direct into our coffers RTGS$46m and we are in the process of receiving the other one which we are yet to be clear on the figure but as Harare Metropolitan, we were allocated RTGS$400m for all the three local authorities and Harare being the biggest, for obvious reasons, we have the biggest chunk,” he said.
Most roads in the northern suburbs are badly potholed and the city recently started patching the potholes.
The roads patched include Solomon Mujuru Drive (formerly Kirkman 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.
