The contractor responsible for the N$381-million Eneas Peter Nanyemba Road has blamed heavy traffic and a “live site” for some of the difficulties encountered during construction, after sections of the road started deteriorating before completion.
This comes after City of Windhoek spokesperson Lydia Amutenya told The Namibian last week that the maintenance responsibility of the road remains with the developer, as the project has not yet been handed over to the municipality.
At a media information session yesterday, Ongos Valley Development chairperson Reagon Graig said construction was taking place on a “live site”, with traffic and other activities continuing around the construction area.
“There’s activity around the construction site, and sometimes we have to be managing that very sensitively because we have to understand that we are basically disrupting the normal course of a person’s day,” he said.
The contractor said the project had been planned with “contingencies” for delays and unforeseen circumstances.
Ongos Valley Development spokesperson Abed Erastus yesterday said the contractor is now planning to repair the affected sections.
“We have investigated the causes of the deterioration and have submitted the solutions to the authorities for approval and implementation,” he said.
He said road construction is an inherently complex process, and even more so on an active road that carries a daily mix of vehicles, from taxis and passenger cars to heavy-duty commercial trucks.
The project is currently stalled at the Havana four-way intersection, where the city needs to relocate vendors and businesses operating within the road reserve before construction can be completed.
The city identified an area next to the four-way intersection as the site for a new community market.
However, residents occupying the area earmarked for the market have objected to the planned relocation, saying the city has not provided promised services, including water and electricity.
The city says relocating the households would allow vendors currently operating on the road at the Havana four-way to move onto the area where the houses are being removed, which will become the new community market.
‘SERVICE ISSUES’
The city has disputed claims that residents are without basic services.
Amutenya says the new site identified for relocation has communal water taps and toilet facilities, while the city has started constructing electrical infrastructure at the individual household level.
“It is worth noting that these people have no security of tenure at the current site (Havana four-way) but at Havana Extension 8 and 11 they will have that,” she says.
She says a tender for roads, stormwater, water and sewer infrastructure had recently closed and the city was in the process of procuring a contractor.
The city says more than 100 households have already been relocated to Havana Extensions 8 and 11, where electrification works are underway.
According to the city, the road project could have progressed further if not for resistance from more than 40 households to relocate.
