Interchange only will not ease traffic – Minister

Government says it will soon commence upgrading of roads in Lilongwe as one way of easing traffic congestion in the City.

According to Minister of Transport and Public Works Sidik Mia, the completion and unveiling of the first ever Area 18 interchange is not enough to ease traffic congestion.

“The Interchange alone cannot decongest road users in Lilongwe City so the government under Dr. Chakwera`s directive is that all roads surrounding the Interchange must be upgraded to dualization,” said Mia.

Mia added that government has secured funding from both Chinese and Japanese governments aimed at upgrading roads in the city into dual carriage way.

“I am happy to say that the Chinese Government gave us a grant of about $50 million to realise the road from Crossroads Roundabout right through to Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) junction, this will start anytime soon,” he said.

According to the 2020/2021 Budget estimates, Transport and ICT Sector has been allocated K150.6 billion.

Of this total allocation, K111.4 billion has been allocated to the Roads Fund Administration for construction of roads, while K1.4 billion has been allocated towards air and water transport infrastructure.

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