MZ-NB road project faces extension

Construction of Mzuzu-Nkhata Bay Road will take longer than planned as the contractors have asked for extension, the Roads Authority (RA) has said.

RA spokesperson Portia Kajanga said Strabag, the company constructing the road, has applied for an extension due to a lawsuit and weather shocks.

“It is an internationally acceptable practice to have a clause or a provision in the civil works contracts for possible extension of time should a situation arise during implementation stage of the contract, said Kajanga.

The request comes as the German company has completed 50 percent of the works and tarred about 18.9 kilometres so far.

The decision to approve or reject the request lies with supervising consultants, who critically examine the grounds for the application,

The works were supposed to be completed by December 31, but Kajanga said the contract duration is likely to be extended by some months.

According to Kajanga, the project was delayed by prolonged rainfall and a court case over quarry at Dunduzu on the northern part of Mzuzu City.

“The period is likely to be extended for a few months which we cannot mention now until a full determination is made,” she said. n