Speed up road rehabproject, says minister
Minister of Transport and Public Works Jacob Hara has urged the contractor rehabilitating the Kaphatenga-Benga Road section to complete 50 percent of the section before the onset of rains.
He said this on Monday when he inspected the stretch on the M5 from Kaphatenga in Salima to Benga in Nkhotakota.
Hara highlighted that the contractor was supposed to speed up the works while sticking to the stipulated standards.
He said: “Many people are complaining that the rehabilitation work has delayed, which is true. This road is not like any other road because it is prone to floods. In addition, the existing road has numerous single-lane bridges.
“The majority of the bridges had low hydraulic capacity evidenced by annual reports of overtopping. Bridges across Lifyodzi and Chibothera rivers were washed away in October 2006 and March 2009 and there was urgent need to replace them with permanent structures.”
Hara said modern standards of road rehabilitation have been taken into consideration.
He said: “The current standards contribute significantly to providing a reliable and durable bituminous road and drainage structures.
“The road was constructed between 1976 and 1978 and several sections deteriorated and needed rehabilitation.”
Stuart Benson, who uses the road regularly, said it was a death trap.
“We have been witnessing accidents caused by the poor state of the road. Complete the project to facilitate safe travel,” he said.
With funding from Malawi Government in collaboration with the African Development Bank, China Railway 20 Bureau Group Corporation started the K64 billion rehabilitation works in November 2022 and were expected to finish by November 2024.
The M5 connects lakeshore districts such as Salima, Nkhotakota and Nkhata Bay.
