…potholes-laden national roads require over M 2billion
Seabata Mahao
The Roads Directorates has rolled sleeves to cobble the shredded roads throughout the country.
News emerged from a media briefing held by the Directorate on Wednesday at their premises in station industrial area that a bid which can only survive depending on the availability of the funds has been initiated.
During an interview with Newsday, the Director General of Roads Directorate KhasapaneKikine stated that the directorate is planning to maintain the roads even though they will be operating on a limited budget which will make them to proceed on loans on some of the upgrading and maintaining of the roads.
Kikine said the directorate will need a whooping M2 110million which is referred to as the technical needs of paved roads. He continued further that a lucrative M296million will be for light reseals in total of 182kilometers of paved roads which needs to be resealed as a preventative measure to deter further deterioration.
However, a report from the directorate indicates that, M1 814million will be required for light and heavy rehabilitation of about 296kilometers of road where the roughness and structural cracking have developed beyond preventive maintenance structural repair is needed to improve the roads to functional levels.
Kikine indicated that for sustainable quality transport network, Roads Directorate will need to enhance an enabling environment for road infrastructure development by reviewing the Roads Act of 1969 and subsidiary laws and develop road infrastructure asset management policies as well as developing the road infrastructure master plan and financing policy.
“Roads Directorate also has to review and update the Lesotho design standards and formulate construction industry development policy to enact construction bill. There is also a need to develop axle load control policy and harmonize land allocating legislation to observe road reserves.
“The directorate is also planning to maintain existing roads as well as asset recovery from Maputsoe to Butha-Buthe which is not yet designed, Maseru city main arterial roads, Maqhaka to Hleoheng, Butha-Buthe to Oxbow, from Mafeteng to Quthing, Mount Moorosi, Mphaki to Ha-Mosi,†Kikine said.
He disclosed that their plan is to improve access to main towns, key border posts, and productive sectors, adding that the Thaba-Tseka, Taung, Mokhotlong and Sehlaba Thebe is yet to be started along with Makhoaba to Thaba-Tseka which is 95% complete.
Meanwhile, Kikine noted that, there is also a need to improve urban and rural transportation systems which include; interchanges to be constructed in order to improve road safety and advance mobility to reduce congestion, travelling time and vehicle operating costs. He further said that, there is a need to construct secondary corridors and network rehabilitation development plans.
The projects budget from the government capital budget is M440million however, there is an Exim loan of Mpiti to Sehlaba-Thebe worth M300million and road fund budget has increased to M110million along with transport infrastructure while capacity project budget is records M84million.
