US$3.4 million earmarked for damaged Chambeshi bridge

Minister of Transport and Logistics Frank Tayali has called for the construction of a new bridge across the Chambeshi River located off the Mpika- Kasama road in Muchinga Province following the damage caused to the existing one.

Mr Tayali disclosed that government will release $3.4 million towards the reconstruction of both the Chambeshi and Mulobezi Bridges which has affected operations of Tazara.

He says government will quickly fund the reconstruction of the bridges to allow continuation of operations at Taraza which got disrupted following a derailment of a train.

Mr Tayali blamed the locomotive driver for causing damage to the two bridges which he says could have been avoid.

And Tazara Marketing Manager Bruno Ching’andu explained that the driver of the train failed to stop after a derailment leading to goods falling off the train into the Chambeshi River.

Engineer Ching’andu says operations have been affected as cargo has to be offloaded from Kasama were truck drivers then pick it up and transport it to take to different parts of Africa including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)