Chirundu-Beitbridge Road Corridor is a Trans-African Highway Network Zimbabwean link between South Africa and Zambia. It is also part of the North–South Corridor Project and the Cape to Cairo Road. The North-South Multimodal Transport Corridor is under the African Union PIDA. The Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa is an all-Africa program to develop a vision, policies and strategies for development of priority trans-regional and continental infrastructure, which includes transport; hence the rehabilitation of regional road corridors. The African Development Bank being the Executing Agency for the Programme. The local road corridor has two legs; the Chirundu-Harare and the Harare-Beitbridge Highways. The road has been divided into sections described here as “Links” and the rehabilitation of the highway is being carried out in various “links” which would eventually see the whole route done. The links are numbered from North to South; from Chirundu border with Zambia to Beitbridge border with South Africa.
Chirundu-Harare
Background
The Chirundu-Harare Highway which is a regional road corridor namely R3 Highway is a national road called A1 Highway. It runs generally in a south-easterly direction from Chirundu Border Post to Harare a distance of . The Chirundu-Harare Highway is part of the Regional Trunk Road Network as well as the Trans-African Highway Nr 9. On the Zambian side the highway continues north as T2 Highway to Tunduma, the border between Zambia and Tanzania. Major local and regional trunk routes in Zimbabwe are fully paved and of modern design. However most of them, including this one needs retouching.
Operations
The North-South Corridor Aid-for-Trade Programme’s specific objective is to contribute to the upgrading of the Chirundu-Harare Highway section of the North-South Corridor road network through rehabilitation of the highway. The Chirundu to Harare section of the Regional Trunk Road Network has 4 road links to be rehabilitated.
Link 1 runs a distance of from Chirundu Border Post to Hells Gate. This section covers the Zambezi Escapement area. It is mountainous and has a number of very steep passes. In this section of the road there is a turn-off to Manna Pools and the Hurungwe Safari Area. At the end of this link is Makuti, an important waypoint for those travelling straight ahead and those turning right into P12 Highway to Kariba.
Link 2 Makuti-Karoi
Link 2 runs a distance of from Makuti to Karoi. Unlike Link 1, this section has moderate curves and slopes. Charara Safari area lies left for about stretch of this highway section from Makuti.
Link 3 Karoi-Chinhoyi
Link 3 covers a distance of from Karoi to Chinhoyi. This road runs south-easterly all the way to Chinhoyi. Travellers to Chegutu, through to Gweru can branch right in Chinhoyi into P13 Highway popularly known as the Chegutu-Chinhoyi Highway.
Link 4 section covers from Chinhoyi to Harare. Harare is the capital city of Zimbabwe. Here lap number 2 of the Chirundu-Beitbridge Highway begins; the R1 Highway popularly known as the Harare-Beitbridge Highway.
Harare-Beitbridge Highway
The road runs in a southern direction from Harare to Beitbridge Border Post, covering a total distance of 571 km. The Harare-Beitbridge road is part of the Regional Trunk Road Network. On the South African it joins the N1 Highway which runs the whole length of South Africa to Cape Town.
Link 5 Harare-Chivhu
Link 5 is after the capital city Harare, and it covers to Chivhu. Here in Chivhu the R6 Highway branches right to Nyazura.
This section covers 184 km from Turn Off to Beitbridge Border Post. Just less than halfway to Beitbridge lies Nuanetsi Game Ranch to the left, after Rutenga. Beitbridge is the border between South Africa and Zimbabwe. It is the busiest of all in Southern Africa, both in commercial traffic and the movement of people.
