Road Development Agency (RDA) Director and Chief Executive Officer, Eng. Grace Mutembo today conducted an on the spot check at Livingstone Weighbridge in Southern Province to appreciate the operations and challenges being faced.
Under the Public Roads Act No. 12 of 2002 as amended and Statutory Instrument No. 76 of 2015, the Agency through its regulatory wing, the Axle Load Control regulates the maximum weight of all Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) above 6.5 tonnes that traverse on the Zambian Road Network.
Eng. Mutembo said the Government, through the RDA, has been developing road and bridge infrastructure countrywide. However, this noble effort will be in vain if the Agency does not limit the loads being transmitted on the roads.
“If our roads, both old and new, begin to deteriorate due to uncontrolled loads that are being ferried on them, the cost of repairing these roads will be unbearable, especially on the already constrained national treasury,” she said.
The RDA has intensified the role of regulating HGVs in Livingstone and Kazungula Districts, especially with the completion of the Kazungula Bridge Project, which has resulted in increased traffic along the road and bridge corridor.
Axle Load Control is important as it minimises the negative impact of overloaded trucks on the road network. This, in turn, preserves and protects the life span of road and bridge infrastructure, reduces the maintenance cost of roads and bridges, and enhances road safety by reducing risks for traffic accidents caused by overloaded vehicles.
It also facilitates investments through the conveyance of abnormal loads to various sectors of the economy, such as in the mines, and provide traffic flow statistical data for planning and designing of roads and bridges.
