March deadline for Malawi first overhead traffic interchange

Traffic activities will be disrupted in Lilongwe for the next five months following a decision by Roads Authority to close part of M1 road of Area 18 roundabout to pave way for construction works of the country’s first overhead traffic interchange.

Speaking to reporters after a tour of the construction site, Road Fund Administration chief engineer Joel Longwe said the road will be temporarily closed  to ease potential congestion during the implementation of the project.

Said Longwe: “We are closing temporarily part of M1 road so that construction works should not be distractedand urging all motorists to be using the diversions that have been constructed around the construction site.”

He said there will be two diversion with the one connecting Lingadzi Bridge M1 Road to City Centre  via Seventh Day Adventist Church.

The second diversion is from Parliament to Area 10 near Malawi College of  Accountancy.

Longwe explained that the construction of the dual carriage way stretching from Parliament Roundabout to Bingu National Stadium Roundabout  would ease traffic congestion in the capital city.

“As Roads Fund Administration, we are hoping that after completing this project, the traffic jam in our roads will be reduced as people will have more choice on which route to take,” he pointed out.

The Project is expected to be completed in March 2020 and is locally funded to the tune of K 10 billion that will see the country have its first ever interchange that will replace Area 18 roundabout.

According to engineers, the way  the roads have been done by constructors Mota Engil,  it provides for the motorist and non-motorised traffic, which means that cyclists and pedestrians will have their own path which is good for the safety of all road users.