LUHONONO – The construction of the multi-million Namalubi-Isize-Luhonono road is going well following massive progress made towards completion of the long-awaited project that will link the mainland to the flood belt. Civil construction group Nexus project manager Paul Blazek says the project might be completed by December next year.
Blazek was speaking during a media briefing last Thursday following an inspection of the project by Roads Authority (RA) CEO Conrad Lutombi and Works and Transport Minister John Mutorwa.
Section A of the road from Namalubi to Isize, which is about 24km long, is already done pending inspection and the contractor is now working on Section B from Isize to Luhonono.
“Overall the work is at 76 percent progress. There are 230-plus culverts and we are at 89 percent completion on those culverts. We shouldl finish the project by December next year,” said Blazek.
He added that the major challenge is taking materials to the site during the flood season. He was however adamant that even when the flood comes the road will be accessible to Luhonono.
Mutorwa commended the contractor for the progress made and appealed to community members to own the project and make the contractor’s work easier.
“We know that when a road is constructed sometimes it goes through a mahangu field, a maize field or whatever it is. A governmnet compensation policy is in place, and also if sand is to be taken somewhere … there is some kind of compensation, but it should not be the burden of the contractor, it should be the burden of us in government,” said Mutorwa.
Thirteen SMEs are working on the site with a combined total of 524 employees, while the project is currently valued at about N$600 million.