RA assures road safety in Chiweta highlands

Roads Authority (RA) has assured motorists that the M1 passing through Chiweta escarpments in Rumphi District will not cause logistical challenges during the 2023-24 rainy season.

In an interview, RA spokesperson Portia Kajanga said a contractor is working on Kacheche-Chiweta M1 stretch to ensure the road is passable.

The section of the M1 between the Kacheche Turn-off and Chiweta is an important route connecting many countries to regional trade corridors in eastern and southern Africa. It forms part of the Northern Corridor running for 3 900km from the port city of Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania to Durban in South Africa.

However, of late motorists have raised concerns on the condition of the road due to some rocks and mudslides which descend from surrounding hills and block the road during torrential rains.

But Kanjanga said with the maintenance works underway, road users should be assured that the road will be fit for use.

She said: “It is true that this road is being affected by impacts of heavy rainfall which soften soil that falls off the hills and bury the road, but we already have a contractor who is managing and clearing all road situations on the stretch.

Kanjanga said the 66.5 kilometre (km) stretch referred to as Lot 4 will be fully rehabilitated by China Henan International Corporation Group and works are expected to be completed by 2025.

In a separate interview, Ministry of Transport and Public Works spokesperson Watson Maingo said they are monitoring the works to ensure that the road is passable.

“The ministry wants to ensure that all troubling sections on this road should be passable all the times. We are working closely with the RA, which manages roads across the country,” he said.

Maingo concurred with motorists concerns that the road is in bad shape and needs to be fully rehabilitated.

“Currently, we require from the contractor to routinely carry out maintenance works on this road as indicated in the contract agreement so that this key road is passable,” he said.

Apart from the mudslides and rocks, the stretch also has massive potholes.

In November 2019, the Malawi Government and the European Union (EU) signed a financial agreement for 139 million euro as contribution towards the rehabilitation of the M1.

Of the amount, 95.5 million euro was a loan from European Investment Bank and 43.1 million euro was a grant from the EU.

The rehabilitation of the 301-km M1 section started from Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) junction in Lilongwe and will be completed at Chiweta Trading Centre.

So far, the rehabilitation works were awarded to four contractors who will work on four sections of the road.

The first section from Kamuzu International Airport Turn-off to Kasungu Boma was awarded to China Jiangxi International in partnership with Jiangxi Transport Ltd.

The section from Kasungu Boma to Jenda in Mzimba will be rehabilitated by Mota Engil.

The section from Jenda to Mzimba Turn-Off will be implemented by Unik Construction Engineering Ltd while the section from Kacheche in Mzimba District to Chiweta in Rumphi District is being handled by China Henan International Co. Ltd. n