Mbudzi interchange: 11 out of 15 bridges complete
ELEVEN of the 15 bridges needed for the Mbudzi Interchange in south Harare are now complete and the Masvingo-Glen Norah loop road is set to be open to traffic anytime soon.
The design for the Mbudzi interchange is made up of 15 bridges, with 13 directly on the interchange, while two bridges are each on Amalinda Drive and Harare Drive.
Yesterday, The Herald established that the main interchange is now almost complete, with just two bridges left. Some of the outstanding works include installation of the beams already on site.
The interchange is being built at the intersection of Simon Mazorodze Road, Chitungwiza Road and High Glen Road.
The intersection was previously managed by a roundabout but increasing traffic brought lock-jams, especially during morning and evening peak hours, as traffic would go two thirds of the way around the roundabout, basically blocking those on other roads from even accessing it.
Giving updates on the progress at Mbudzi Interchange so far, the Transport and Infrastructural Development Ministry yesterday said work was moving according to schedule.
“Total bridges at Mbudzi Interchange Project and associated routes is 15. A total of 11 bridges completed to date. Four bridges at various construction stages,” said the ministry.
A taxi driver, Mr Benard Chiripanyanga, said the project was fast becoming a reality.
“The Second Republic indeed means serious business, we thought it was just a talk show, but I am glad that there is notable progress. Thanks to our President, navigating around this area in any direction one can easily notice that work is indeed ongoing.”
A vendor who operates at Boka Tobacco Auction floors, who preferred to be only identified as Mother Jane, said the place now had a new look.
“I used to work at the roundabout for almost eight years, but the place has been transformed for good. A bird’s eye view at one of the bridges reveals that it is indeed taking shape,” she said.
A pedestrian, Mr Thomas Simeya, said with the way the structure is being built, it was their hope that it will be completed before the year ends.
“The progress is there for all to see, but my plea is that they fast track their pace so that this year it will be our Christmas present from the Government,” he said.
At Mbudzi, where the Government has now grabbed the nettle, Simon Mazorodze Road is the section of the main Harare-Beitbridge national highway running through southern Harare.
So it has intercity and international traffic as well as being a main feeder road from the southern suburbs and western Chitungwiza into the city centre.
It is also the main link from these residential areas to the heavy industrial sites.
Chitungwiza Road not only links that town to the industrial areas, but is also the main feeder road for the swathe of new suburbs across Harare south that have been developed recently.
High Glen Road is the main link for the vast south-western suburbs of Harare, home to at least a quarter of the capital’s population, as well as serving the western parts of the main industrial area.
The combination of all these needs means that not only is traffic heavy, but there are high ratios of trucks and buses in the traffic.
The flyover will be the second for Harare. The first was built in the 1970s at the other end of Simon Mazorodze Road, where it joins Cripps Road, Abdel Gamal Nasser Road and Fidel Castro Road, with a branch into Lytton Road.