Wed, 04 Jan 2017 14:29:22 +0000
By MAILESI BANDA
LUSAKA motorists are fuming and dismayed that the Road Development Agency will not effect repairs to the damaged Lumumba road which is threatening life and property.
According to the agency Lusaka’s Lumumba road is damaged beyond repair and patching it will be just a waste of resources, but there is no money yet to do the job.
Responding to mounting criticism by motorists and the general public that RDA has been negligent by allowing the road to reach this stage of destruction, director for communication and corporate affairs Loyce Saili said she anticipated the road will be completely rebuilt in the first quarter of this year.
Motorists using Lumumba, one of the busiest roads in Lusaka carrying traffic from the city centre to the western suburbs and heavy trucks to and from the north and south of the country, are angry how RDA could allow the road to deteriorate to such extent.
But Ms. Saili said the road is part of the L400 project which is a contractor finance project and that the agency was awaiting the release of funds to commence works on the road.
“Lumumba road has outlived its design and patching it would just be a waste of resources, because it is an old road and the only solution is replacing it with a new one,’’ she said.
Public and Private Drivers Association of Zambia president, Josiah Majuru, appealed to RDA and the Lusaka City Council to work on the part of Lumumba road between Family 24 and the Dar Farms junction before lives were lost due to the bad state of the road.
Speaking in an interview with Daily Nation, Mr Majuru said the road portion has potholes that accumulate water when it rains and make it difficult for motorists to drive safely.
Mr. Majaru said many of the vehicles that pass through the road were at risk of being stuck in the potholes due to the state of the road.
