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Road construction delays irk motorists

 

Motorists in Blantyre have expressed concern over the delay in road construction projects which are adversely affecting them.

Some of the projects whose delay has affected motorists include Henry Henderson Institute (HHI)-Blantyre-Machinjiri Road and the Robert Mugabe Highway in Limbe.

Passing through the Robert Mugabe Highway after lunch hour is proving difficult for motorists as the other side of the road is filled with potholes that have arisen as a result of the construction works that have taken time to finish.

Motorists struggling to make their way through the uncompleted
stretch in Limbe yesterday

The road, which connects to Mulanje and Thyolo, is putting vehicles at risk of getting damaged by the potholes and small stones that mostly get stuck between double tyres of some vehicles.

Motorists using the Blantyre-Machinjiri Road, on the other hand, are taking long to reach their destinations as the road that passes through Southern Bottlers in Makata Industrial Area was closed.

A visit at the site found tractors parked with few people who operate the machines seated inside the tractors with no activity taking place.

The road, which has been closed from Ndirande-Goliyo junction to HHI traffic lights, is causing traffic jams, especially when parents and guardians are dropping and picking their children at Phoenix International Primary School and Saint Andrews High School.

One of the motorists, Mercy Yakobe, said the route has become much longer because of heavy traffic that is usually there during morning and evening peak hours.

“This route has been the shortest ever since, but now it has become worse as a result of the construction works on the other side. We mostly delay when going to work because as you know by then there are a lot of people going to work, something that badly affects us,” said Yakobe.

Another motorist, Patrick Phiri, said there is need for the speedy completion of the project because the road is one of the few routes that they rely on. n

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