Story by Vongai Masuka
The Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Honourable Felix Tapiwa Mhona, has toured the Mabvuku Interchange project and the Masasa Traffic Separator at Jaggers Masasa, revealing that the road network is now almost 60 percent complete and on course to be finished by the end of November.
The Minister was accompanied on the tour by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Transport, Engineer J. P. Makumbe, along with several other government stakeholders and officials from the Department of Roads.
Speaking to theVhayeya.com during the tour, Hon Mhona said the project had made major development since his last visit earlier this year alongside President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
“We are here today at Mabvuku Interchange, as you know our Ministry is also responsible for infrastructure. Earlier this year, His Excellency and I also visited this project, and I can confirm that there has been tremendous progress,” He said.
“We are at almost 58 percent, and by the end of November, this project will be complete,” added Hon Mhona.
The Minister revealled that the interchange was not merely a local traffic decongestion measure, but formed part of a broader national strategy to link Zimbabwe’s major routes and improve connectivity beyond the capital.
“We are happy that we are not only looking within the great city, but across the nation, to say how do we connect from our four corners. I am glad to say that if one is going to the east, this is one of the corridors,” he said, adding that government’s infrastructure focus now extended beyond Harare’s city centre to how the capital links with the rest of the country’s road network.
He described the corridor as key for motorists travelling towards the eastern border and beyond.
The Deputy Director responsible for Construction Engineering in the Department of Roads, Engineer Virginia Mawere, confirmed that piling works at the site are set to begin tomorrow as they push to meet the year-end deadline.
“We will start piling tomorrow, and we are working to ensure that the project is completed and opened to traffic by the end of the year,” said Mawere.
She added that the Mabvuku Interchange was not an isolated project, but one of several interchanges currently under construction across the capital as government pursues a coordinated approach to road development.
Mawere revealed that Domboshava Road is earmarked for dualisation, which will widen the route to four lanes in a bid to ease congestion and cut travel time for commuters.
She further confirmed that works had already begun on Delport Road, a 19-kilometre stretch connecting Mutare Road through Airport Road down to Seke.
“As part of our approach for a coordinated approach in road development, we have started works at Delport Road, which is about 19 kilometres, connecting Mutare Road through Airport Road down to Seke. We started from a section where we are upgrading the road from unsafest to safest,” Mawere added.
The government says the Mabvuku Interchange project remains on track to be opened to traffic before 2026 draws to a close.
