The project was officially launched by H.E His Excellency Dr Lazarus Chakwera on 31 August 2021
at a ceremony which took place at Bingu International Convention Centre (B.I.C.C) in Lilongwe, following a ground breaking ceremony held on the project site near parliament roundabout. The project will see the Kenyatta drive be transformed to a six-lane motor way and a Partial Clover Interchanger constructed at the point where the Kenyatta Drive intersects with the Mzimba Street.
Speaking during the launch, President Dr Lazarus Chakwera said apart from adding beauty to the city of Lilongwe the project shall help reduce traffic congestion between city center and old town. He further said such big projects are also a source of jobs to the youths and others.
The total cost of the road project is K19 billion and the road stretch is 3.9 Kilometers. Initial projects period is 18 months. It is expected that time travel between city center and old town will be reduced to just 10 minutes from around 60 minutes in pick hours.
Vehicle operating costs would be greatly reduced in terms of wear and tear and usage of fuel. The new road will enhanced Road Safety for all road users with the introduction of a dedicated lane for cyclists and a separate pedestrian walkway road safety for all road users will be enhanced and will result in the reduction of accidents between motorised and non-motorised traffic.
The project comes on the background of the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS III), 2018 and the Transport Master Plan, 2018, the Malawi Vision 2063, 2021 which are recent policy documents that articulates issues related to both economic growth and development in the Transport Sector.
