WORKS on the strategic Kasomeno-Mwenda road and bridge project have now reached about 20 percent completion, with visible progress on earthworks, embankments and drainage works firmly planting the project on course in Mwense district of Luapula Province.
At Kashiba-Chalwe area along the Luapula River, directly opposite Kasomeno in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), heavy machinery is already carving out what will soon become Zambia’s newest trade corridor.
Senior resident engineer for Rankin Engineering Consultants, Dewald Potgieter, confirmed that all major excavations, including rock blasting, have been completed on both the Zambian and DRC sides of the Luapula River crossing.
“Currently, all the excavations were done. The rock excavations were done on both sides, that is the DRC side and also on the Zambian side. On the Zambian side, the footing for the abutment was cast,” Potgieter told the Ministry of Information and Media director spokesperson Henry Kapata.
He disclosed that concrete works on the DRC side are set to begin shortly, starting with the casting of footings before moving on to pier construction.
Potgieter further revealed that contractors are assembling a pontoon that will be used to transport heavy steel bridge components across the Luapula River from Zambia to the DRC, a critical step in advancing the bridge works.
“The road project is currently about 20 percent complete. We expect an increase after the rainy season when sub-base, crushed stone base and asphalt works start,” Potgieter said.
The Kasomeno–Mwenda corridor consists of 92 kilometres on the Zambian side from Kashiba through Chalwe to Mwenda and 94 kilometres into the DRC, anchored by a 362-cable-stayed bridge across the Luapula River, set to become the longest of its kind in Africa.
Once complete, the route is expected to significantly reduce pressure on the busy Kasumbalesa border post and shorten the distance to Dar es Salaam by up to 500 kilometres.
The project is being delivered under a 25-year public-private partnership valued between US$400 million and US$500 million, involving GED Africa and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation.
By George Musonda
Kalemba January 6, 2025
