By Akanimo Sampson
Zimbabwe and the Zimborders consortium are implementing $300 million Beitbridge Border Post modernisation project.The move is expected to boost capacity fivefold for human and vehicular traffic at SADC’s busiest inland port.
According to Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra), the construction project will result in the required improvement to the current infrastructure, which will go a long way in creating efficient and effective traffic management for all stakeholders and the economA total of 485 jobs are set to be created for Zimbabweans over the course of the construction works for the next 18 months.
The authority said that traffic handling capacity has been significantly affected by the ongoing extensive construction works at the border. “This has resulted in the reduction of working and parking space as well as traffic channels. This reduction in capacity is anticipated to result in significant congestion and delays in the effective passage of all traffic, particularly northbound traffic,” said the authority.
The delays were likely to persist for the next six weeks but Zimra is doing its best in expediting the movement of cargo through the border post. “All stakeholders are therefore requested to take note and are hereby encouraged to consider, where possible, the use of alternative transit routes to avoid anticipated delays,” added the authority.
At the moment a total of 45000 commercial trucks, 3000 buses, 10000 light vehicles, and 500 000 travellers use the border monthly in normal times, although passenger traffic has sharply reduced during the pandemic.
