Restoring road traffic between the districts of Mavago and Majune, which was interrupted about a week ago due to the collapse of the metal bridge over the Lochesse River, will require an estimated investment of 150 million meticals, the newspaper Noticias reported on Thursday, 12 December.
According to Oreste Zezela, provincial delegate of the National Roads Administration (ANE) in Niassa province, northern Mozambique, ‘the money will be used to transport metal structures from the ANE construction site in Dondo (Sofala, central Mozambique) to the site, as well as building reinforced concrete pillars and paying salaries to the workers involved in the work, which is expected to last six months.’
The bridge over the River Lochesse, about 90 metres long, was damaged by a cargo lorry and had already exceeded its useful life, posing risks to users. That’s why the solution was to completely replace the structure.
Financial resources are being mobilised from the Road Fund, while temporary measures are being evaluated. ‘One of them is the use of a mobile metal bridge of around 21 metres,’ said Oreste Zezela, ’to reduce the isolation of the Mavago district.’
The alternative link through the district of Muembe (Niassa) also presents serious difficulties due to the advanced state of degradation of the road. In response, ANE has adopted strategies to guarantee accessibility during the rainy season, such as installing barriers on the most critical sections, significantly improving traffic conditions.
The situation is particularly critical for agricultural sales, since those involved in the marketing chain depend on these routes to take products to the markets in Niassa’s major urban centers.