committed…
The Government, through the Road Development Agency (RDA), remains committed to maintaining and rehabilitating road infrastructure across Zambia.
Speaking during a year-end press briefing held today at the RDA Head Office in Lusaka, RDA Board Chairperson, Eng. Eugene Haazele, said the Government was doing everything possible to protect the country’s road infrastructure.
“We are doing everything possible to protect our road infrastructure through rehabilitation and maintenance. We are working across the country and are not negligent in this regard. It is not true that we are negligent. We have maintenance crews stationed nationwide responsible for road maintenance,” Eng. Haazele said.
He cited the recent disruption on the Great East Road at Sinjela, approximately 87 kilometres from the Kenneth Kaunda Roundabout, which occurred on December 25, 2025, at around 15:00 hours. The road was completely cut off following the failure of an old steel (Armco) pipe culvert due to high volumes of water caused by heavy rains.
To restore connectivity and ensure continued traffic flow, the RDA installed a 30-metre Acrow Bridge across the affected section as a temporary but safe crossing.
The installation took seventy-two (72) hours, after which the bridge was opened to traffic. During the same period, the Agency also constructed a 600-metre temporary detour to facilitate traffic movement while installation works were underway.
Eng. Haazele said a permanent structure would be constructed once the rainy season comes to an end.
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“Following the latest inspection conducted on the Great East Road in February 2025, the Agency identified critical points requiring immediate attention. These structures will be prioritised for maintenance under the 2026 Road Sector Annual Work Plan Budget,” he said.
He thanked road users for their patience during the period when the Great East Road was affected and assured the public that maintenance activities would be enhanced to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
Eng. Haazele disclosed that the Government had received funding from the World Bank for the Transport Corridors for Economic Resilience Project (TRACER), which aims to improve efficiency, connectivity, and climate resilience of key regional transport and trade corridors in Eastern and Southern Africa.
The project has four main components, one of which provides for the financing towards the viability study for the dualization of the 50 km section of the T4 from Airport Roundabout to Chongwe.
The procurement of these services is awaiting final clearance from the World Bank.
Under the same component, financing has been provided towards the feasibility study and detailed design for the rehabilitation of the 207 km section of the T4 from Chongwe to Luangwa Bridge.
The procurement of these services has been concluded. The awarded firm is Theme Engineering Services Pvt Ltd in Joint Venture with Core Consulting Engineers PLC. The services are expected to be concluded over a period of seven months.
The procurement of the civil works for the rehabilitation is expected to commence once the detailed designs have been prepared and finalized, subject to availability of financing.
Eng. Haazele said the AfDB further funded condition surveys of all bridges and major culverts on the Core Road Network to support effective management, maintenance, and future planning. Both services are currently ongoing.
Capacity rating…
He added that the Government also secured financing from the African Development Bank (AfDB) for capacity rating and detailed structural assessments of bridges with spans exceeding 25 metres on Trunk, Main, and District Roads.
Eng. Haazele said the AfDB also provided financing for the services for the conditional survey of all bridges and major culverts on the core road network with the view to effectively and efficiently manage and maintain the bridge and culvert stock while planning for future interventions. Both services are currently ongoing.
Eng. Haazele said the RDA Strategic Plan places strong emphasis on: Road asset maintenance, including drainage structures; Improving the resilience of road infrastructure to climate impacts; and Expanding maintenance activities to address failing culverts throughout the trunk, primary, and feeder networks.
“This strategic direction confirms that culverts are a priority area, as drainage failures are a major cause of road washouts. In this regard, the Agency has been undertaking inspections of the bridges and major culverts across the country since December, 2023,” he said.
He said the Core Road Network currently has a total of 6,554 bridge and culvert structures, from which 585 are bridges, 4,250 are major culverts and 1,719 are lesser culverts.
Eng. Haazele reaffirmed that the RDA remains committed to developing and preserving a safe, efficient, and sustainable road network for the benefit of all road users.
Continuity…
Meanwhile, Eng. Haazele said the year 2025 saw the implementation of massive road projects across all parts of the country.
He noted that through the RDA, Government continued to construct, rehabilitate, and maintain public roads with the objective of improving the condition of the Core Road Network and facilitating the smooth and efficient movement of goods and services.
He further said that the RDA had been constructing fixed weighbridges and operating mobile weighbridges nationwide along the Core Road Network.
“These weighbridges are critical in regulating vehicles with a permissible Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) of 6,500 kilogrammes and above, thereby protecting road infrastructure from premature damage caused by overloading,” he said.
However, Eng. Haazele expressed concern over the continued prevalence of overloading by heavy goods vehicles, particularly tipper trucks. He said overloading significantly reduced the durability and lifespan of roads and undermined Government’s substantial investment in road infrastructure.
He also highlighted the challenge of encroachment on road reserves.
“Road reserves are gazetted widths designated for roads under Section 21 of the Public Roads Act. Over the years, individuals and institutions have encroached on these reserves by erecting structures such as shops and houses, planting commercial trees like pine, and cultivating crops.
Encroachment on road reserves is an offence, and members of the public are urged to protect the integrity of these areas,” he said.
