Consulting firm Louis Berger Group was last month awarded a $7.6-million contract by the Sub-Saharan Regional Pipeline Corporation (SSRPC) to provide consultancy services and rehabilitate the National Road N303 in Mozambique.
This comes after the SSRPC’s $350-million investment to transform an unpaved carriageway into a modern road – which is about 350 km long – that crosses the Tete province and ends at the Zambezi river, where Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe have a common border.
“The rehabilitation of the N303 is vital not only for Mozambique but also for the region as a whole. The modernised road will greatly boost the local economy, which is mainly dependent on coal mining, by allowing the development of local small-scale enterprises along the road,” says Louis Berger African operations head Jean-Pierre Dupacq.
He adds that the modernised road will be the shortest link to a railway line currently under construction between Tete, which is coal-rich, and the Port of Nacala. The road will offer a more cost-effective transportation solution, increasing the flow of goods and mineral resources, particularly copper exports.
The project will encompass the rehabilitation, widening and reinforcement of the road and existing structures; improvement of the alignment, pavement and signage design; drainage and ancillary works; as well as the rehabilitation of 19 bridges.
“Louis Berger will be responsible for providing design services for the development of feasibility, environmental- and social-impact assessments and resettlement studies,” notes Dupacq.
On completion of the projects, the National Roads Directorate, which is in a public–private partnership with the SSRPC, will be the beneficiary of the road rehabilitation project.