The Otjiwarongo municipality, in collaboration with the Road Fund Administration (RFA) and the Roads Authority (RA), will over the next three years invest over N$71 million in road upgrades and the rehabilitation of critical streets at the town.
The upgrades, which will be done in phases, are part of a tripartite agreement which is valued at over N$71 million.
Otjiwarongo has been grappling with damaged roads infrastructure, especially along its main roadways and interconnected streets, which are all scattered with potholes and misaligned pavements.
In recent months, the situation has been made worse by the heavy rainshowers, which has uprooted road surfaces in most of the streets and in the city centre.
Otjiwarongo mayor Gottlieb Shivute said through the RA, a contractor was appointed to conduct pothole patching and slurry sealing on various bitumen roads across the town, promising that similar work will be carried out across the town’s road networks.
“Road infrastructure is the backbone of our town’s economic and social development, ensuring safe mobility and connectivity for all. As a council, we acknowledge the challenges posed by road deterioration, particularly due to heavy traffic, adverse weather conditions and resources’ constraints. However, we remain steadfast in our commitment to deliver sustainable solutions that enhance the quality of life for our residents…”
“To address these challenges, the town, in collaboration with the RFA and RA, has undertaken a series of road maintenance and rehabilitation projects under our tripartite agreement. The works will be carried out over three years,” said Shivute.
Some of the work already done, valued at around N$3 million, has resulted in the successful road works of 3,254.18 m² of pothole patching and 1,152.31m² of base repair across streets including DRC Road, Lang Straat East, Jonas Useb Street, Waterberg Street, Son Road and Saint George’s Street.
Henk Willems Street, Ramblers Avenue, Oos Road, Park Street, Kambazembi Street, Johannes Wohler Street and Bathromeus Koruseb Street have all received 4,069.23m² of slurry sealing.
Recognising the need for further intervention, Shivute said they availed an additional N$3 million to support road maintenance efforts, which covered 4,997.12m² of pothole patching and 5,412 m² of slurry sealing on key roads such as Guinas Road, Kavango Road, J-Xam Goaseb Street, and various roads in Orwetoveni location.
In response to the additional damage caused by recent heavy rains, the municipality forked out an extra N$6 million for continued bitumen road and stormwater maintenance. The funding of these projects is all under the tripartite agreement.
“These works have already commenced and will continue for the next six months, focusing on pothole repairs and routine maintenance across the town. We also acknowledge that there are some roads which need major repairs and structural improvements as their deterioration goes beyond what routine maintenance can address. These roads will undergo rehabilitation that will involve reconstructing damaged sections, strengthening the road base and improving drainage and resurfacing to extend the roads’ lifespan. To this effect, a contractor has been appointed for light rehabilitation of several streets in Otjiwarongo at a cost of N$30 million for eight months. The contractor is busy with site establishment and preliminaries, with construction anticipated to start on 14 April 2025,” shared Shivute.
Once the heavy rainy season has subsided, the municipality will avail another N$26 million for the resurfacing of the Dr Libertina Amadhila Avenue, Ananias Nangoro Avenue, Bahnhof Street, Gottlieb Katjindee Avenue, Kambazembi Street, Bert Jansen Street, Rikumbi Kandanga River Street, Industrial Road and Dr Frans Indongo, the mayor added.
– ohembapu@nepc.com.na