The government through Roads Authority (RA) has awarded K7.6bn contract to Mark Construction Company to complete construction of the Thuchira bridge in Mulanje which stalled for almost four years.

The Authority's board chairperson, Reverend Dr. Matilda Matabwa told Zodiak Online Tuesday that the contractor is currently mobilizing to the site to commence works, indicating that the project was delayed due to the rainy weather.

For the past seven years, the Authority has been working on maintenance of the outlived bailey bridge along the Robert Mugabe highway (M03) road before the stalemate of the new bridge. 

"The government has now awarded the contract to Mark Construction Company to complete construction works," she said.

Dr. Matabwa added that the contractor, while working on the permanent works, will continue to provide maintenance works to the existing bridge, which is strong enough and will stand up to the opening of the new reinforced concrete bridge. 

"The existing bridge is strong enough and will stand up to opening of the new reinforced concrete bridge," Dr. Matabwa added.

In 2018, the Authority awarded a contract to a company to construct the new Thuchira bridge after it indicated that the old bailey bridge had outlived its lifespan and it was posing danger to the motorists.

However, the project stalled few years later before Cyclone Freddy caused more damage to the old infrastructure, a development that impacted negatively on the lives of people using the road as some got injured and died while crossing.

Meanwhile, Road Safety Alert Foundation (ROSAF) executive director Joel Jere has lauded the step and urged the contractor to be responsible by putting up a durable structure.

"To the contractor, all we are saying he needs to be responsible and do the work quickly. We are expecting the contractor to put up a durable bridge since this kind of developments are done with huge sums of money. We want something which will have a a long lifespan for generations," he advised.

The Thuchira bridge connects people from Mulanje, Chiradzulu, Thyolo to Mkando market and Limbe in Blantyre.