Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. The construction of two modern traffic interchanges, modelled after the Trabablas Interchange in Harare, at both ends of the 31.2km Christmas Pass Bypass Road, to reduce the frequent accidents involving heavily laden haulage trucks along the treacherous curves of Christmas Pass, has commenced.
The US$99 million project, being undertaken by Leengate Private Limited, is expected to be completed within 15 months.
Transport and Infrastructure Development Minister Felix Mhona confirmed the start of the project last Friday. He said:
I can confirm that we have commenced work on the Christmas Pass Bypass Road, which will include interchanges.
Manicaland Provincial Roads Engineer, Raphael Sugauke, also confirmed that work on the Christmas Pass Bypass project is now underway.
Sugauke said the contractor, Leengate (Pvt) Ltd, began clearing the first site camp at the Romeo Turn-off last Thursday.
This initial phase will be followed by the clearance of the first four kilometres of the planned 31.2km route. Said Sigauke:
We are pleased to note that the Christmas Pass Bypass Road project is starting with mobilisation currently happening.
Clearing of the first site camp at Romeo Turn-off commenced last Thursday, and thereafter, clearing of the first 4km of the planned corridor will follow. It is crucial to note that the project includes two interchanges and several bridges.
The interchanges will be located at the beginning of the project at Romeo Turn-off and the other at Mutare Teachers’ College, where the new route connects with the Mutare-Chimanimani Highway.
The Christmas Pass has become a notorious accident hotspot, as haulage trucks carrying heavy loads frequently struggle to navigate its steep slopes.
Brake failure and jack-knifing are common occurrences, making the route a serious safety concern.
Rarely does a week go by without an accident being reported on the pass.
Most of the trucks that pass through Mutare via the Beira Corridor are en route to Mozambique’s Port of Beira, as well as inland destinations including Zambia, Malawi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
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