Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development Minister, Hon. Eng. Charles Lubasi Milupi has commissioned the rehabilitated Solwezi Weighbridge in Solwezi District North Western Province.
The weighbridge, including other associated infrastructure has been rehabilitated at a cost of K58,419,148.82.
Hon. Eng. Milupi said the Government through the Road Development Agency (RDA) has been constructing and rehabilitating roads in an effort to improve the state of the Core Road Network to facilitate the smooth transportation of goods and services.
He said the Government considers the road sector as one of the most important sectors of the economy as roads promote efficiency in the movement and delivery of goods and services and is a pre-requisite for economic growth and poverty alleviation.
“In this regard, your Government is undertaking several measures to improve the road network such as construction of weighbridges to control the load on the roads in order to prolong their use. Despite the measures being taken by Government, we have noted with great concern the prevalence of overloading of heavy goods vehicles which has adverse impact on the life span of our roads,” he said.
Hon. Eng. Milupi said the noble effort to improve the Core Road Network will be in vain if the Government does not limit the loads being transmitted on the roads.
Hon. Eng. Milupi said if roads, both old and new, begin to deteriorate due to uncontrolled loads that were being ferried on them, the cost of repairing these roads will be unbearable, especially on the already constrained national treasury.
“The commissioning of the rehabilitated Solwezi Weighbridge will go a long way in boosting efforts to preserve the road asset. As you are all aware, North Western Province is now the new Copperbelt, which means more machinery to support mining activities is being transported to the province via the roads. It is the responsibility of all stakeholders to ensure that axle load regulations are adhered to,” he said.
North Western Provincial Minister, Hon. Robert Lihefu said the RDA had consistently demonstrated a high level of commitment, professionalism, and efficiency in its operations and the successful completion of the Solwezi Weighbridge was a testament to the tireless efforts and its ability to overcome numerous challenges.
Hon. Lihefu said the weighbridge project from conception to its completion had required meticulous planning, robust engineering solutions, and effective coordination among various stakeholders.
“The RDA’s role has been pivotal in ensuring that all these elements came together seamlessly. Their hard work and perseverance are indeed worthy of our deepest appreciation, and I commend every individual involved in this endeavor,” he said.
Hon. Lihefu said the Solwezi Weighbridge was not merely an infrastructural project but was a catalyst for multifaceted progress and development that will benefit Solwezi District, the North Western Province and the entire nation.
RDA Board of Directors Chairperson, Eng. Mulchand Kuntawala said the contract for the works was awarded in January 2018 to Messrs. Savenda Management Services with the project manager’s representative being BNS Consultants in association with LNH Consulting Services.
Eng. Kuntawala said the original contract period was for 12 months for completion by 9th January 2019 and then subsequently, the final revised completion date was set at 31st August 2022.
“It took us four and a half years to complete a one-year project, primarily due to not matching projects to the financial envelope available. Hon. Minister Milupi, your Board of Directors, directed Management to stop this style of project management and is under strict instructions to undertake projects at the right price, of the right quality and complete them within the right time frame. this will reduce the overall cost of projects,” he said.
Eng. Kuntawala assured the Government that the Agency will continue to be alert in its determination to curb overloading on public roads by constructing additional modern weighbridges whilst upgrading and rehabilitating the existing ones.
“The RDA will enforce the law to curb overloading on public roads by also utilizing the mobile weighbridges recently procured in areas which are prone to the vice and where fixed weighbridges do not exist. Through this stringent enforcement we will be able to preserve our road and bridge assets which are constructed at a huge cost to the Government.
Eng. Kuntawala urged the trucking fraternity to be compliant to the permissible load criteria as prescribed in the legal framework.
“It is no use crying foul on bad condition of the roads when we ourselves damage the road furniture, just to make a quick buck by overloading our trucks as we move forward with technology, the RDA is in the process of procuring “weigh in motion” weighbridges which will reduce the transit times for the truckers,” he said.
