Nine interchanges planned for Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Expressway under US$250m airport road upgrade

Nine interchanges planned for Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Expressway under US$250m airport road upgrade
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Government says it will build nine new interchanges along the Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Expressway in a US$250 million project aimed at turning the route into a high-capacity, controlled-access road linking Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport with Harare’s city centre.

The expressway, formerly Airport Road, is expected to ease congestion on one of Harare’s busiest corridors, reduce travel times to the country’s busiest airport and improve road safety, according to information released during a site tour this week.

The Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister, Felix Mhona, visited works at the intersection of Harare Drive and the Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Expressway on Monday, where preliminary activities such as land clearing have started. He was accompanied by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Engineer Joy Makumbe, and other senior Government officials.

Officials said the road is being constructed by local contractor Makomo Engineering, with Ascon Africa acting as the consulting engineer. The planned alignment starts at the intersection of Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa Road (formerly Enterprise Road) and Glenara Avenue, before ending at the airport.

Under the project design, the upgraded route will be a high-speed dual carriageway intended to handle heavy traffic volumes between the airport and Harare.

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Among the key features outlined are grade-separated interchanges at major junctions, including Dieppe Road and Harare Drive, intended to allow traffic to flow without stopping at busy intersections.

The development will also include a viaduct—an elevated road structure supported by pillars—intended to carry vehicles over congested sections and natural obstacles. Plans further provide for flyovers above railway marshalling yards and bridges across the Mukuvisi River to maintain continuous movement along the corridor.

At Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, the expressway is expected to terminate with traffic circles and expanded access roads, which officials said are meant to distribute traffic to the new passenger terminals more efficiently.

Government also indicated that supporting infrastructure such as drainage, street lighting and landscaping will form part of the works.

During the tour, Mhona confirmed that nine interchanges are planned along the corridor and said work teams were being positioned across the various intersections while the current site remains a focus.

“The goodness of this new interchange is that, as you have heard from the consultant, on this particular project by end of year will be done, so we will be moving again to the next site,” Mhona said.

“But what the consultant has done now is to have gangs along the corridor on the nine intersections so that they will start working while concentrating on this particular intersection, which should be done by the end of this year.

“And we are saying tentatively within two and a half years we must be done with the entire project.”

Mhona described the works as long-awaited and said the upgrade would improve connectivity between the airport and the city centre.

He also said the project is being financed using a model that involves private sector participation, which Government believes will reduce pressure on the national budget while allowing repayments over time.

“We are not talking about just one interchange. Tentatively, we are talking about US$250 million for the entire project, which will also include diversion routes at the end of the day,” Mhona said.

Although the works are in Harare, transport links such as the airport corridor are closely watched by travellers and businesses across the country, including Mashonaland Central, where many residents rely on road travel through the capital for flights, trade and access to services.

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