The once lively 10 Miles stretch on the Great North Road has now become a motorist’s nightmare. What was once a 20-minute drive from the central business district to the outskirts of Lusaka has turned into a two-hour ordeal, fueling tempers, draining patience, and disrupting the rhythm of daily life around Kabangwe area.
Every morning and evening, an endless queue of vehicles snakes through the 6 to 22 Miles section. Engines idle, tempers flare, and commuters lean out of windows in exasperation. Some bus drivers resort to switching off their engines entirely, while vendors weave between lanes selling water, snacks, and even phone chargers to stranded passengers.
“I left town at 16:30, and I’m still here two hours later,” laments Joseph Mwila, a frustrated commuter heading to Chibombo. “Even our bus schedules no longer make sense. Sometimes we reach our destination at midnight.”
The situation has become so dire that long-distance bus companies like UBZ have had to revise their timetables to accommodate the unpredictable traffic. “We’ve had to make changes to avoid peak hours,” said one company official, “but even then, our drivers end up stuck in the same gridlock.”
The Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing, and Urban Development has since moved to calm the storm, issuing an urgent statement acknowledging the public outcry over the congestion caused by ongoing construction works on the stretch.
“We understand the frustration caused by the gridlock and assure the public that we are working tirelessly to resolve the issue,” said Professor Albert Malama, the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary.
He revealed that meetings have been held with the Macro Oceans Investment Consortium (MOIC-LN Consortium Limited), the Road Development Agency (RDA), and the Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) to enforce measures that will ease traffic flow.
While the Ministry has apologized for the inconvenience, netizens are growing weary. Many are calling for better traffic management, especially during peak hours, and clear communication on diversion routes.
For now, the 10 Miles gridlock stands as a painful symbol of progress; an unavoidable cost of development that tests the endurance of motorists and the patience of a city on the move.
-Kopala Lifestyle Magazine