By Hilda Tanga
MARONDERA- Residents in Melfort are concerned by the accidents that regularly occur near Muswiti Bridge where the Harare-Mutare highway is currently being dualised by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development.
As the road dualisation continue, the area has now become a hotspot and some of the accidents have claimed lives while others left companies and individuals counting their losses.
One carriageway of the construction works is still being developed.
The Melfort community is concerned over the increased risk for vulnerable road users as the construction is taking longer than was expected. Many people now fear using the road, especially when approaching Muswiti Bridge, due to the high number of accidents.
“This has always been a ticking time bomb and people in this community, especially pe-destrians, nolonger feel safe when approaching this bridge. We notice that even motor-ists are now exercising extreme caution as they know that anything can happen at that spot,” former Melfort councilor, Paddington Chikandamina said.
The community is still reeling from the loss of loved ones and having to witness many horrific scenes as a result of many accidents that have been occurring and mainly involv-ing trucks and tankers.
Chikandamina said: “Due to road mishaps at that black spot, two local residents lost their lives after being knocked down by light vehicles. Since 2021, there have been ac-cidents that involved a fuel tanker and a few months later haulage trucks with consign-ments of alcohol, potatoes and cooking oil could not make their way through the spot and overturned, resulting in huge business losses for the companies involved. Only last year, we witnessed accidents that involved trucks transporting baking potatoes, wheat and rice.”
Tapiwa Ndoro, a local resident called on the Government to speed up construction works at the Muswiti Bridge.
“As a resident of Melfort who witnessed some of the accidents that occurred near the bridge, I want to appeal to the Government to expedite the road construction works that are taking place so that traffic can flow smoothly,” he said.
“We are worried by the trend of these accidents and as they always result in losses for companies. Some residents like me are now hesitant to walk near that spot,” Ruth Makamure, another resident, said.
These accidents have been attributed to motorists’ erratic judgement due to the road du-alisation. Drivers are reportedly confused by the dual-carriageway system or the ongoing construction work.
Other motorists are also failing to exercise caution or adjust their speed according to the temporary road conditions.
According to motorists interviewed by Chaminuka, the curve on the dualised road is ex-cessively sharp and the road signs are insufficient and the community is calling on au-thorities to improve road safety measures.
“Cleansing and prayers are also needed at the black spot, for the lost souls to rest in peace,” former councillor Chikandamina added.
New Ziana
