Walvis Bay road upgrade gets N$400m boost
• Roads vital for Namibia’s import, export economy
Calls have been growing not only for the RA and RFA to prioritise urgent repairs but also for private-sector stakeholders, including fishing companies and Namport, to contribute to road maintenance costs.
The rehabilitation of key roads in Walvis Bay’s heavy industrial area is underway, following a funding boost from the Road Fund Administration (RFA) that brings the project’s total allocation to around N$400 million.
The move follows sustained public criticism over the deteriorating state of roads leading to the harbour, fishing factories and industrial zones.
The roads, vital for Namibia’s import and export economy, have suffered extensive damage due to heavy truck traffic and inadequate water drainage infrastructure.
The damage was further aggravated by heavy rains in March this year.
The project, rolled out in partnership with the Roads Authority (RA), the fund administration, and the Walvis Bay municipality, forms part of a five-year intervention to upgrade logistics infrastructure in the port city.
Calls have been growing not only for the RA and RFA to prioritise urgent repairs but also for private-sector stakeholders, including fishing companies and Namport, to contribute to road maintenance costs.
Thousands of trucks transporting fish, cargo and fuel move through these corridors daily, placing sustained pressure on road surfaces not originally designed for such volumes.
“The funds allocated for Walvis Bay do not come to the municipal coffers nor are they administered by local authorities,” the municipality’s spokesperson Anita Kaihiva clarified in a statement issued on 27 May.
Questions remain over whether the N$400 million allocation will be sufficient to address the full scale of deterioration and whether complementary investments, such as truck port facilities and private-sector contributions, will be mobilised.
Road works kick off
Construction has started on Allan Dean Martin Street and 3rd Street. On Allan Dean Martin, 200 metres of base layer and 560 metres of sub-base have been completed using a half-width construction method that maintains limited traffic flow. Works on 3rd Street currently focus on the replacement of an ageing sewer line, which will improve long-term underground service reliability.
Additional roads slated for rehabilitation include 3rd Street East, 2nd Street and Railway Street, all of which play a strategic role in supporting port logistics and industrial movement.
Stakeholder engagement efforts have included meetings with affected businesses and pre-structural assessments of nearby buildings to document any potential damage from construction activities.
Meanwhile, Namport is developing a new, modern truck entrance gateway to its port operations, designed to ease pressure on current access routes.
The move follows sustained public criticism over the deteriorating state of roads leading to the harbour, fishing factories and industrial zones.
The roads, vital for Namibia’s import and export economy, have suffered extensive damage due to heavy truck traffic and inadequate water drainage infrastructure.
The damage was further aggravated by heavy rains in March this year.
The project, rolled out in partnership with the Roads Authority (RA), the fund administration, and the Walvis Bay municipality, forms part of a five-year intervention to upgrade logistics infrastructure in the port city.
Calls have been growing not only for the RA and RFA to prioritise urgent repairs but also for private-sector stakeholders, including fishing companies and Namport, to contribute to road maintenance costs.
Thousands of trucks transporting fish, cargo and fuel move through these corridors daily, placing sustained pressure on road surfaces not originally designed for such volumes.
“The funds allocated for Walvis Bay do not come to the municipal coffers nor are they administered by local authorities,” the municipality’s spokesperson Anita Kaihiva clarified in a statement issued on 27 May.
Questions remain over whether the N$400 million allocation will be sufficient to address the full scale of deterioration and whether complementary investments, such as truck port facilities and private-sector contributions, will be mobilised.
Road works kick off
Construction has started on Allan Dean Martin Street and 3rd Street. On Allan Dean Martin, 200 metres of base layer and 560 metres of sub-base have been completed using a half-width construction method that maintains limited traffic flow. Works on 3rd Street currently focus on the replacement of an ageing sewer line, which will improve long-term underground service reliability.
Additional roads slated for rehabilitation include 3rd Street East, 2nd Street and Railway Street, all of which play a strategic role in supporting port logistics and industrial movement.
Stakeholder engagement efforts have included meetings with affected businesses and pre-structural assessments of nearby buildings to document any potential damage from construction activities.
Meanwhile, Namport is developing a new, modern truck entrance gateway to its port operations, designed to ease pressure on current access routes.
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