Project

The current project involves upgrading 45 Km of the road which include 15.4Km of the M022 road section from Mzimba Boma (M009/M022 Junction) to the M022/M001 Junction and 30Km section of the S107 from Mtangatanga Turn Off (M022/S107 junction) up to Mtantha trading center. The two road sections will be upgraded from earth to bitumen.

The project will have many benefits to the people along the road and to the country as a whole. Some of the benefits will include; 6.1 Shorter Route The road will provide a shorter route for travellers between Lilongwe and Mzuzu who would like to pass through Mzimba Boma. 6.2 Road Maintenance costs With the upgrading of this road to bitumen standard, road maintenance costs will be greatly reduced greatly. 6.3 Vehicle Operating and Passenger Travel costs Vehicle operating costs savings constitute the most important benefit attributable to the project. This will have direct reduction on maintenance cost of the vehicles, reduced fuel consumption and travel time. Passengers will now be paying less and spending less time on travel. Availability of buses and minibuses will greatly improve transportation of passengers. 6.4 Agriculture The area where the road passes is an agricultural area for mainly tobacco, maize and groundnuts. The upgrading of the road will ease problems of transporting farm inputs and produce to and from various markets. 6.5 Environmental and Health The upgrading will reduce the occurrence of dust and mud along the project area and thereby improving sanitation that means reduction in the spread of diseases, which are airborne or waterborne. This will reduce the cost of medicines, which would have been required to treat the people affected. The upgrading of the road will allow the communities good access to health facilities in town especially for referral cases. 6.6 Employment Creation and Business Boosting The people around the area of the road project will also benefit by being employed in various road activities by the Contractor. During project implementation and after, many businesses will mushroom along the project road and the communities will be empowered economically.