Harare -Construction of the Mbudzi traffic interchange has reached 63 percent completion and is on course to meet the commissioning deadline of July this year, a Cabinet Minister has said.

Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona said this in a report that he presented to Cabinet on Tuesday.

The project aims to upgrade the Mbudzi roundabout junction along the Harare-Masvingo highway to an interchange intersection involving the major roads of High Glen, Simon Mazorodze and Chitungwiza.

It will ease the traffic congestion and reduce the travel time at the junction, which is one of the busiest in the capital.

The government has compensated 42 out of 52 affected property owners to the tune of US$14.8 million with another US$14 million still outstanding.

At least 95 families whose houses were demolished to make way for the Interchange are being relocated to Hatcliffe, where new homes will be built for them.

The Mbudzi traffic interchange features 13 bridges on site and 2 more on associated roads with the 15 bridges all at various stages of completion.

Mbudzi roundabout had been a major choke-point of southern Harare before the Government committed resources to turn it into a multilevel interchange as the government continues to upgrade infrastructure to cope with modern demands and trends.

Some benefits of the project include decongestion of the Mbudzi area by creating streamlined and efficient traffic flow, and reducing transit time and accidents in the area.

More than 700 people found employment on the site, with an estimated 10 000 additional downstream opportunities created.