By Netshakhuma Muleya
BEITBRIDGE Municipality has embarked on a pothole closure and road rehabilitation project aimed at improving traffic movement and road conditions in the town.
The project, which started on August 29 and is ongoing, has prioritised local distributor roads connecting to regional routes.
Roads attended to include the Primary Makhado Road near Mutsa Guest House, Marshal Road, the Secondary ED Mnangagwa Road running through the Central Business District (CBD) to the Zimbabwe border post, Bennie Knot, CBD feeder roads, Dulivhadzimu access roads and industrial feeder link roads.
The works include pothole patching and premix overlays, depending on the condition and severity of pavement deterioration.
Speaking to Ziyah News Network, Town Clerk Loud Ramakgapola said the project was part of the municipality’s ongoing road maintenance and rehabilitation programme.
“It was necessitated by the deteriorating condition of roads in Beitbridge, particularly the presence of potholes and other pavement defects that were affecting road safety and vehicle movement,” he said .
He said the project would help improve the road network and provide more trafficable roads.
“Since the works are being implemented progressively, additional road sections will continue to be attended to according to their condition,” he said.
A driver passing through a roadwork site in the CBD, David Mangava, welcomed the rehabilitation works, saying motorists had raised concerns about the condition of the roads in recent months.
“It’s good to see the roads being attended to, as this has been an outcry for the majority of drivers over the past months,” he said .
“The project is good and it will save damages to our vehicles, as we suffered repair costs due to the pothole crisis,” he said.
Meanwhile, as the project continues, some motorists have called for the rehabilitation of the Shule Shule dust road, which runs through the ZCC Church site and joins the main road leading to Shule Shule shops.
Motorists said the road has remained in poor condition for months, with numerous potholes affecting its use.