Roads Authority opts for bailey bridge at Chanzi, Nkhotakota

Heavy rains that caused flooding in some parts of Nkhotakota on Saturday have partially damaged a section of the M5 Road at Chanzi River near the Boma.

The damage comes barely weeks after a contractor covered the culvert ring on the site with soil to make the road passable after earlier damage.

The Roads Authority has since engaged the Malawi Defence Force (MDF) Engineering Battalion to erect a bailey bridge—a temporary bridge formed of a prefabricated interchangeable steel truss panels bolted together—to open both lanes to traffic.

RA spokesperson Portia Kajanga yesterday said works to put up a 24-metre bailey bridge at the site will start tomorrow.

She said the MDF team has already started mobilising resources.

According to engineers, bailey bridges are temporary and need to be replaced after two months.

In a separate interview, Nkhotakota Police Station spokesperson Paul Malimwe said motorists have been advised to exercise caution when passing through the partially damaged section.

“Traffic police officers have been deployed on the site to regulate movement of vehicles travelling between Nkhotakota and Salima,” he said.

Every rainy season, the M5 Road faces closure as it becomes severely damaged and impassable due to vandalism of metal culverts.