160km of Byo-Vic Falls Road rehabilitated
Staff Reporter
160 kilometres of the Bulawayo – Victoria Falls Highway have been rehabilitated as the Second Republic moves to ensure an improved road network to the country’s tourism capital.
The strategic highway has seen major works being carried out to improve connectivity with the country’s tourism capital.
The government has, however, indicated that the permanent solution is the construction of a new highway.
Government also wants to attend to the Hwange -Tshikwalakwala- Maputo railway line to facilitate the transportation of bulk coal exports.
“As the ministry of transport, we are looking at all sensitive roads across the country, the roads that are of economic importance and to society. One of the very important roads to us is the road from Victoria Falls to Bulawayo and from Bulawayo to Beitbridge and therefore we are looking at rehabilitating this road. Currently, we are doing so with the contractor Bitumen World where we have patched over 160kms but that is a short-term solution. We are looking for a permanent solution where we go into a PPP and tackle the road from Beitbridge to Bulawayo and from Bulawayo to Vic Falls,” said the Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Honourable Joshua Sacco.
The tourism sector also wants a permanent solution for the road that leads to the country’s tourism capital.
Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Honourable Barbara Rwodzi said, “I am very happy to say that as we speak right now we have Ministry of Transport on the road that is patching potholes but that is temporary. But the great news is that there are discussions on a PPP to come and rescue this road which is a great network for domestic tourism when locals drive on it, but we are also seeing a lot of South African tourists who use this highway. We are happy that there are these PPP discussions as a permanent solution and we are also part of those conversations in the whole government approach of working together.”
The issue of an improved road network has been cited as key for the turnaround of the tourism sector which is among the country’s top three foreign currency earners.
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