New Swazi highway provides alternate route

SWAZILAND - The first phase of a new R41,3 million highway connecting the Matsapha Industrial Estate with the northern suburbs of Manzini, allowing an alternate route for freight haulers around the congested central commercial hub, was completed this month, and a tender was recently awarded to Inyatsi Construction for the final 12 km of the 27 km highway.
"The new route is longer, and not as direct as the present Matsapha to Manzini highway we all use," says an executive of one of the Matsapha-based freight haulage companies. "But an alternative route is needed to avoid peak hour traffic. It's a bad situation now with only one highway through Manzini, and all the east-west traffic in Swaziland must go through Manzini, because what happens when there is a closure on that route?"
Phase one's completion saw the expansion and tarring of a former dirt road from the University of Swaziland at the edge of the Matsapha Industrial Estate to the town of Mbekelweni, a depot
for agricultural products from farmers' cooperatives. Phase two will connect Mbekelweni with the Manzini suburbs by next year.
"The construction of the first phase of the project is now substantially complete, and the road is now open to traffic," a statement from the Ministry of Public Works and Transport reported.
Meanwhile, the Swaziland Environmental Authority has approved an environmental impact study for the highway's remaining construction, which thus far has been carried out without the time delays and ballooning costs usually associated with highway projects in Swaziland.