Namibia is still considering tolling some of the country’s roads as a sustainable source of revenue for ongoing road maintenance and improvement, the Roads Authority (RA) has said.
“There are some roads which we have done some investigations, where one can possibly have tolling but that is still in the pipeline,” RA Chief Executive Officer Conrad Lutombi told The Brief.
A road toll is where drivers pays a fee to make use of certain sections of the road, with funds raised used for the road’s upkeep and maintenance.
He said the government will have the final say on the proposal to introduce road tolls on some of the country’s roads, but could not divulge the exact roads.
“We cannot say whether government will agree but the study was done by Road Funds Administration and we are in the process of giving feedback to government and thereafter a decision will be taken,” Lutombi said during the ground breaking ceremony for phase 2B of the Windhoek to Hosea Kutako International Airport (HKIA).
Phase 2B is the third and last section of the dual carriageway construction at Windhoek-Hosea Kutako International Airport. The section commences at the Dordabis interchange and continues in an eastward direction up to HKIA, covering a distance of 21.3 kilometres.
The project entails the construction of the 21.3 kilometres of dual-carriage freeway, three interchanges to be located at Dordabis, Sonnleiten and HKIA, and two river bridges and drainage structures.
“This project is divided into three phases. Phase 1 which starts from Unam , that one we are completing this year in July. Phase 2 A, that one we are completing in 2023 September and the final phase, 2B, that one we are completing is September 2024,” Lutombi said.
On completion timelines for the Windhoek to Okahandja road upgrades, he said, “it was expected to be completed next year, 2023, around December, but of course that means the whole substantial work will be done but the final completion will be early 2024. By next year most of the work should be complete.”
Work’s minister, John Mutorwa who officiated the ground breaking ceremony said when completed the project will bring increased mobility and safety to motorists.
The final phase is financed through a grant of approximately N$1,035 billion from the People’s Republic of China to the Republic of Namibia.
