A ground-breaking ceremony for the new site of the in Seke Tollgate was held recently following the government’s plan to move five tollgates on the outskirts of cities and towns further out so that motorists living in peri-urban areas will not be burdened by paying road tolls twice daily.

Under the plan, the Dema tollgate will now be moved from its original site, at Skyline, to further south, at the 59-kilometre per along the Harare-Hwedza Road. The relocation plan has been caused by the Harare Metropolitan built-up area’s expansion to Dema and the surrounding areas.

The Skyline tollgate is scheduled to be relocated to the 36km marker on the Harare-Masvingo Road, situated outside the current urban zone. Similarly, the recently relocated Shamva tollgate, which was moved from its previous location within the Harare urban area to the Juru area in October, is now fully operational.

To prevent tollgates from becoming bottlenecks and to accommodate the increasing traffic flow, measures are being taken to upgrade the existing tollgates on major highways. These upgrades aim to enhance the efficiency and capacity of the tollgates, ensuring a smoother and more seamless experience for drivers.

The tollgates that are scheduled for relocation include Skyline, Dema, Lion’s Den, Umguza, and Shamva. Additionally, the tollgates near Norton, Esigodini, Mushagashi, Mupfurudzi, and Colleen Bawn will undergo rehabilitation to meet standard levels.

All the funding for the reconstruction, rehabilitation, and relocation of the tollgates will be done by the Zimbabwe National Road Agency (ZINARA).

The government delegation visited several places including Shurugwi and Mutasa South before the Dema ceremony.

During the same ground-breaking ceremony government also made announcements about the rehabilitation of two major roads – Seke Road which connects Chitungwiza and the capital city Harare as well as the Chitungwiza Road which comes from Mbudzi Roundabout Interchange.