Construction of Bosco Bridge Commences This Month
…Rehabilitation of three city roads will form part of the E45 million massive project
The Municipal Council of Manzini will this month embark on a E45 million massive project which entails construction of the Bosco Bridge as well as rehabilitation of three surfaced roads in different parts of the city. The Bosco Bridge will connect the newly constructed Springle Farm Road in Ngwane Park with the Southern Distributor Road near Bosco Skills Centre, in the south-eastern part of the city. This project forms part of the city’s Integrated Development Plan (IDP) and its purpose is, amongst others, to provide an additional entry/entry point into and out of the Manzini city centre; in the process alleviating congestion on the D98 road (road that stretches from the Zakhele Remand Centre to the Ngwane Park Cemetery). The D98 road is often characterised by heavy traffic congestion during the morning and afternoon peak hours and construction of the Bosco Bridge is expected to provide a much needed relief to motorists.
Construction of the bridge will also help provide a throughway across the city from the Moneni side of the city to Ngwane Park and further down onto the Yith’abantu Highway; which will come as a relief to motorists who may not necessarily want to drive through the city centre. Ultimately, the bridge will add to the Municipality’s efforts towards traffic congestion alleviation in the Central Business District in the sense that there will be multiple entry/exit points into and out of the city. The three surfaced roads that will be rehabilitated as part of the project are the Southern Distributor Road near Extension 7/Wilmer Park, Mimosa Road in Coates Valley and Tikhuba road (the stretch from Jacaranda Avenue in Coates Valley, past the Manzini Club up to the MR3 traffic circle). The project is being delivered in the form of a Design, Build, Finance, Transfer (DBFT) Public Private Partnership (PPP) model. The Municipality is delivering the project in partnership with civil contractor, AG Thomas (PTY) Ltd, and, all things constant, it will be completed within 18 months.
…PROJECT SCOPE IN SUMMARY
The scope of the project is summarised as follows;
- Bosco Bridge Construction
A bridge that connects the newly constructed Springle Farm Road with the Southern Distributor Road next to Bosco Skills Centre will be constructed. This will add an extra entry/exit point into and out of the city centre; thereby alleviating traffic congestion on D98 road in Ngwane Park and Zakhele.
- Traffic Circle Construction
A connecting traffic circle will be constructed linking Mhlakuvane Street (the street that stretches from the Old Trade Fair, past The Hub Mall and down to Salesian School) with Southern Distributor Road and Springle Farm Road. The traffic circle will enable quicker traffic flow.
- Roads Rehabilitation
Three roads along the route will be rehabilitated. These are Southern Distributor Road (from Bosco Skills Centre to Magnolia Street near International Tabernacle Church in Coates Valley), Mimosa Street (from Magnolia Street connecting to Jacaranda Avenue in Coates Valley) and Tikhuba Street (from Jacaranda Avenue all the way to the traffic circle on MR3 next to Manzini Club).
…COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
It is a norm that the Municipality usually convenes community meetings for purposes of briefing citizens that are directly affected by the project; in particular those who live in close proximity to the project site. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic national restrictions which discourage gatherings, the Municipality will employ alternative means of sharing information with affected citizens. Information that is usually shared during the engagement sessions includes details of the project such as project duration, site establishment (including the exact location of the contractor’s site office), processes involved in the recruitment of general and sometimes even skilled labour from the local community as part of the Municipality’s Local Economic Development (LED) programme, possible temporary inconveniences that may be experienced during the construction period; including possibilities of limited property access at some stages of the construction process.
Citizens are usually also informed about the need for the contractor’s personnel to access properties that are in close proximity with the project site in order to undertake a dilapidation survey of all structures within a 30-metre radius of the construction area. This process involves taking of photos of every concrete/brick structure within close vicinity of the project to determine their condition before commencement of the project. The dilapidation survey helps upon project completion, particularly during assessment of whether or not the buildings were negatively affected during construction works. Notifications will be issued as to the dates of the dilapidation survey and citizens are urged to cooperate with the contractor. Any other form of cooperation from the community during the construction period will be appreciated as the end product stands to benefit the entire city. For further details about the project and in the event there is a need for clarity, the Municipality’s Technical Services Department may be contacted on cteng@mzcitycouncil.sz/ 2508 5052.