Zimbabwe’s Beitbridge to Chirundu highway link now looks set for a complete upgrade. The project has been planned for over 10 years but has faced a series of setbacks and delays, with funding having proved one of the biggest stumbling blocks in the past. The 897km highway runs from Beitbridge, located on the border with South Africa in the south of Zimbabwe all the way up to Chirundu, which is just over the border with Zambia in the north. The route includes part of the A4 highway in the south and the A1 highway in the north of Zimbabwe. The project will be split into five separate sections and passes through Zimbabwe’s capital Harare. A new ring road around Harare is planned as part of the programme.
The work involves widening the route along its length so that it will feature dual lanes in either direction. The existing route features a single lane in either direction and is no longer able to cope with demand, as well as having a poor record for safety while the road surface is also in poor condition. The Beitbridge border post is the busiest in Southern Africa and an upgrade to the route will help boost Zimbabwe’s struggling economy.
Austrian firm Geiger International is handling an engineering, procurement and construction deal for the Harare to Beitbridge stretch of the project, worth US$984 million. The highway is being handled as a 25 year concession package. Construction work is expected to commence in March 2017 and the project will be carried out under the build-operate-transfer model. Local sub-contractors are expected to handle around 40% of the works required.
The construction work for the Chirundu to Harare stretch of the highway will be carried out by China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) and should take 36 months to complete. This will also be carried out as an engineering, procurement and construction deal.
In all, the project could cost as much as $3 billion. The cost of the Chirundu to Beitbridge highway upgrade has increased considerably since the project was first proposed. The project has also been the subject of considerable scrutiny in Zimbabwe. When first proposed it was expected to cost $2 billion, with the pricetag then increasing to $2.7 billion and now expected to reach $3 billion. Some of the route is challenging however, particularly in the north close to the border with Zambia where it runs through the Hurungwe Safari area where there will be a need to protect the environment.
The project is one of several highway upgrades planned in Zimbabwe. An upgrade to the A8 route between Beitbridge and Victoria Falls and which runs through Zimbabwe’s second city, Bulawayo, is also planned.
The work involves widening the route along its length so that it will feature dual lanes in either direction. The existing route features a single lane in either direction and is no longer able to cope with demand, as well as having a poor record for safety while the road surface is also in poor condition. The Beitbridge border post is the busiest in Southern Africa and an upgrade to the route will help boost Zimbabwe’s struggling economy.
Austrian firm Geiger International is handling an engineering, procurement and construction deal for the Harare to Beitbridge stretch of the project, worth US$984 million. The highway is being handled as a 25 year concession package. Construction work is expected to commence in March 2017 and the project will be carried out under the build-operate-transfer model. Local sub-contractors are expected to handle around 40% of the works required.
The construction work for the Chirundu to Harare stretch of the highway will be carried out by China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) and should take 36 months to complete. This will also be carried out as an engineering, procurement and construction deal.
In all, the project could cost as much as $3 billion. The cost of the Chirundu to Beitbridge highway upgrade has increased considerably since the project was first proposed. The project has also been the subject of considerable scrutiny in Zimbabwe. When first proposed it was expected to cost $2 billion, with the pricetag then increasing to $2.7 billion and now expected to reach $3 billion. Some of the route is challenging however, particularly in the north close to the border with Zambia where it runs through the Hurungwe Safari area where there will be a need to protect the environment.
The project is one of several highway upgrades planned in Zimbabwe. An upgrade to the A8 route between Beitbridge and Victoria Falls and which runs through Zimbabwe’s second city, Bulawayo, is also planned.
