The defects cited in the 2012/2015 Auditor General’s report on the 605 million kwacha Chipata-Vubwi road works where due to soil type.
Road Development Agency RDA, Chief Executive Officer, Elias Mwape says the road holds well in areas where cement is mixed with smooth soil than where cement is mixed with rocky or sandy soils.
He stated that the crumbling cores on some parts of the road came up because the composition of materials was not uniform.
Mr. Mwape was speaking yesterday when the Public Accounts Committee, PAC consisting mainly of opposition members of parliament toured part of the road.
The committee took to task authorities from RDA and Ng’andu Consultant to explain why part of the road has developed defects.
And France Blookhus from Ngandu Consultant says the contractor, China Jiangxi is using the same quantity of mixture of cement and soil on the base layer of the road before putting bitumen to make it durable.
And PAC Chairperson, Cornelius Mweetwa says inspection of the road has revealed that the contractor, China Jiangxi is doing a good Job despite few defects.
Mr. Mweetwa however, urged the contractor to ensure that defects on some culvert tranches that have not been well levelled and crumbling cores on few stretches of the road are amended.
Mr. Mweetwa also urged government to quickly release money for the contractor to continue working because only 136 million Kwacha has been paid to the contractor out of 605 million kwacha.
And National Road Fund Agency, NRFA Manager for monitoring and evaluation, Alinani Musishya says materials used to compact soil on the Chipata-Vubwi road are of good quality to hold the road.