Windhoek-Okahandja road portion upgrade completed
By Rosalia David
THE Roads Authority (RA) has announced that Section 4A of the Windhoek to Okahandja road upgrade to a dual carriageway project has finally been completed. This was announced at the RA’s media briefing held a few kilometers outside Windhoek recently.
RA chief executive officer Conrad Lutombi said construction commenced in January 2016 and was only completed on 22 January this year. “The accident rate on the existing road was very high as a result of limited passing opportunities and poor sight distance problems. Thus road safety is a major benefit of the completed sections in terms of reduced accidents,” he noted.
He said it is anticipated that no head-on collisions will occur as the north-bound and south-bound traffic is divided by a barrier. ‘I am happy to share with you that, next month we will start to erect the median divider from Brakwater and it will continue up to Okahandja.
The purpose of the median divider is to prevent illegal U-turns by motorists.”
He further emphasized that all U-turns will only be possible at the designated interchanges and fencing will also be done with the main aim to prevent pedestrians and animals from crossing the freeway.
Another benefit he pointed out is the benefit for imports and exports as Namibia is positioned as a gateway to and from landlocked neighbors in the SADC region such as Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Lutombi said, “Thus, once completed this road will facilitate commercial trade throughout Namibia and SADC region and the project should be seen in a holistic context as it connects to the port of Walvis Bay, which is the main port of entry and serves the Trans Kalahari Corridor.
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According to Lutombi, more business or investment will be attracted to Namibia via tourism which will contribute towards achieving the country’s regional growth, economic stability and poverty alleviation.
Apart from contributing to the growth of the economy, the project also employed up to 420 people including 11 SMEs while 74 percent of the project funds were said to have been spent on local subcontractors and suppliers.
The project was a joint venture partnership between an international contractor, CMC di Ravenna and a local contractor named Otesa.