Construction activity now looks set to recommence on Zimbabwe’s important Harare to Bulawayo road upgrade project. Plans to improve the 439km A5 road link between Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, and its second city, Bulawayo, date back more than 20 years. However the project to widen the two lane route so that it features two lanes in either direction, as well to improve the road surface, has been repeatedly stalled or delayed.
Zimbabwe’s disastrous economic situation has played a major role in its lack of spending on road maintenance. Insufficient funding has been a constant factor in halting progress on developing the road infrastructure. However work is now starting on a 12km stretch of the Harare-Bulawayo highway.
Work on the A4 route connecting Harare with Beitbridge, on the border with South Africa, is also being carried out, albeit with slow progress. The contract for this job was awarded previously to an Austrian firm, however when the company failed to meet construction targets, this package of works was cancelled and a new contractor selected.
