M1.2b secured for damaged roads

MOSA MAOENG

MASERU – The government has secured M1.231 billion for the construction and maintenance of derelict roads and bridges from the World Bank, Export and Import Bank of China and the Road Fund. Heavy rains in the beginning of 2021 destroyed the country’s road infrastructure, and many roads and bridges have remained in a state of disrepair since.

The country received above-normal rainfall and heavy rains had caused landslides, which had destroyed houses and blocked roads and eroded croplands and destroyed graveyards. According to the Roads Directorate, construction of new roads and bridges and the maintenance of what remained failed because of lack of funds.

In February of the same year, then Prime Minister Moeketsi Majoro declared a state of emergency after the heavy rains killed a number of people and destroyed infrastructure, homes and crops. Majoro said the country needed between M70 million and M100 million to rebuild, and he called on development partners to assist. According to the director general Roads Directorate, Teboho Mokhoane, M14 billion is needed to construct and maintain roads and bridges all around the country. He added that they have already started with the new and ongoing projects.

Speaking during the mapping of the Roads Directorate mapping of their 2023/24 plan at its Maseru headquarters on Wednesday this week, Mokhoane said the projects include the design of Tebelong Bridge, which is in the Qacha’s Nek district, Thaba-Tseka Ha Makunyapane to Mokhotlong road and a feasibility study of the Ha Makunyapane to Sehlabathebe which will connect the Mpiti Road to Thaba-Tseka.

“We also have included in our plans to develop junctions in Maseru which include Lakeside, Thabong, Ha Motšoeneng, Mookoli, Ha Hoohlo, Lekhaloaneng and Masianokeng. We are also working hard to conclude the implementation of the construction of Koro-koro Bridge which was washed away by floods two years ago. We are already on the constructing stage and will be completed this fiscal year 2023/24,” he said.

He further added that the directorate is on the preliminary rehabilitation of the Ha Marakabei-Monontša Road and will by this fiscal year, 2023/24, be completed. He said there are new roads which will be developed in two phases due to their budget, saying the first phase is the Moshoeshoe Road whose agreement with the contractor they are on the verge of finalising.

Mokhoane said the second road is the Kofi Annan Road which will be patched from Masianokeng to St Michael’s Roma, and once they get funds in the fiscal year 2024/25 they will continue with the patching from St Michaels to Roma.

“Even through these, there are challenges facing us which include an unregulated construction industry, financing strategies in terms of reaching our target, as well as the large capacity from companies in Lesotho in terms of tenders where Basotho believe that we are awarding tenders to Chinese and not Basotho construction companies,” he said.

On the other hand, the Acting Director Road Network Maintenance, Mpho Mphahama, announced the establishment of their routine maintenance project called ‘Mokoari’ – they work hand in hand with construction workers who have skills using hands. She said through the project they will work with the Maseru Central Region, especially on the Kofi Annan Road.

She highlighted that they will focus on the Main North 1 Road to Mokhotlong by patching roads, and the Main South 1 Maseru to Quthing, and Quthing to Qacha to also patch potholes. These works are already in progress, having started in the past year. Mokhoane further revealed that there is also a new project which will focus on gravel roads and will work in three districts as a way of reconstructing roads. “The first district is Thaba-Tseka, at the Taung Ha Makunyapana Road to Matebeng, which is 47km; Teyateyaneng Ha Kepi to Ha Telikhunoana, which is 12km and in Mohale’s Hoek at Tsoloane Road back to Mohale’s Hoek to Ha Khitšane, which is a 31km stretch.

“We also have about 14 footbridges which we will continue constructing this fiscal year and upgrade streetlights. We will upgrade streetlights from the Main South I at the Maseru Main Circle to Thabong Circle and the Main North I from the Maseru Main Circle to Lakeside,” she said.

The spate of heavy 2021 rains wreaked havoc on the country’s already fragile road infrastructure. The crisis was particularly apparent in rural areas where some places have become inaccessible due to landslides, rock falls, and damaged drainage systems causing flooding on some roads and bridges. To aggravate the situation, in some cases alternative routes were non-existent. Emergency works were immediately set in motion to patch-up various road sections that had been damaged, with M5 million from government’s Contingency Fund and the Road Fund Budget.

The scope of works included, among others, removal of rock falls and debris to open the roadways, erosion protection works, pothole repairs and patching, culvert repairs and reinstatement, restoration of washed away embankments, protection of eroded road sections, as well as unclogging of drainage structures.

Some of the road sections where repair works were done included the Liphiring collapsed mini-bridge diversion, Matelile landscape removal, and Makhalaneng debris removal.

Work was also done in the following places: The A1 Road near Marakabei Lodge, Matlameng to Nkoeng, A8 Road between Pitseng and Katse, Marabeng Tsereoane, Ramapepe, A3 Road between Masianokeng up to Mantšonyane, A5 Road between Roma to Semonkong, A4 Road between Quthing and Mount Moorosi, and B501 Road between Nyakosoba and Mofoqohi, to name a few.