Great West Road, Zambia
Encyclopedia
The Great West Road of Zambia runs 610 km from the capital, Lusaka
, to Mongu
, capital of the Western Province
. It connects that province to the rest of the country, as well as being one of two routes to the south-west extremity of North-Western Province
. It also serves as the main highway of the western half of Central Province
.
In the Copperbelt, however, the road going west to Solwezi
also used to be known as the Great West Road. At that time Copperbelt Province
was, despite its central location, known as Western Province.
Road development was slower to start in the west of the country than in other parts. A dirt road was built from the Great North Road at Landless Corner to Mumbwa
in the early 1930s, but was not extended to Kaoma
and Mongu until 1937, about ten years after road transport
started in other provinces. The Great West Road did not have the same recognition and maintenance as the better-known Great North Road and Great East Road, and was also for a time only the third most used route to the west. A route by ox wagon and boat up the Zambezi
from Livingstone
was the most used in the first decades of the 20th century. A road was made from Mululwe, the end of the Mulobezi Railway
, along the banks of the Luampa River and then across the sandy plain to Mongu about the same time as the Great West Road was built and, thanks to the railway, was used more, until the 1950s.
The first Great West Road was a dirt road with pontoon ferries across rivers such as the Kafue
. It passed through only two towns: Mumbwa and Kaoma. The first 100 km passed through farmland and bush north of the Kafue Flats and like the middle section crossing the Kafue National Park
, was constructed with laterite
gravel. Most of the last third passes through virtually uninhabited bush with no streams or rivers. It is completely dry except after rain in the wet season and is very sandy, which took its toll on trucks and their drivers, as vehicles could get bogged in sand in the dry season, in addition to the usual rainy season hazards of floods and washed-out sections.
The fact that the road started at Landless Corner, 69 km north of Lusaka, suited traffic to and from the Copperbelt. Lusaka did not become the capital of the country until about the time the road was built and it was not until the late 1940s that it became an importatnt centre. A shortcut to Lusaka from Mumbwa via Nakachenje, bypassing Landless Corner, was built around this time.
The Great West Road was first paved around 1969, to a new alignment which, controversially for the residents of those towns, bypassed Mumbwa and Kaoma by a few kilometres. The Nakachenje branch was paved a little later. A lack of maintenance through the late 1970s and 1980s meant that by the 1990s the pavement was in bad condition and had lost in some sections. The Nakachenje branch was in better condition and became accepted as being the Great West Road while the Landless Corner section was neglected, and by 2005, was a poor dirt road.
In the last decade the Great West Road has been rehabilitated and in 2005 was classed as being in good condition.
across the Barotse Floodplain
, via the ferry across the Zambezi's main channel at Sandaula, which would then be replaced by a 500-metre bridge. Originally intended to be completed in 2006, it has been delayed by technical problems of building on the floodplain, and consequent funding problems. The long term intention is to then continue the highway into Angola
and to connect with its road network as a new trade route for Zambia to Atlantic Ocean
ports. If this happens despite the environmental problems of crossing the floodplain, the road could finally rival the Great East Road and the Great North Road in Zambia's network.
Lusaka
Lusaka is the capital and largest city of Zambia. It is located in the southern part of the central plateau, at an elevation of about 1,300 metres . It has a population of about 1.7 million . It is a commercial centre as well as the centre of government, and the four main highways of Zambia head...
, to Mongu
Mongu
Mongu is the capital of Western Province in Zambia and was the capital of the formerly-named province and historic state, Barotseland. Its population is 44,310 , and it is also headquarters of Mongu District.-Geography:...
, capital of the Western Province
Western Province, Zambia
Western Province, encompasses the area formerly known as Barotseland in the colonial era.-Districts:Western Province is divided into 7 districts:*Kalabo District*Kaoma District*Lukulu District*Mongu District*Senanga District*Sesheke District...
. It connects that province to the rest of the country, as well as being one of two routes to the south-west extremity of North-Western Province
North-Western Province, Zambia
North-Western Province is one of Zambia's nine provinces. It covers an area of 125,826 km² and has a population of 583,350 . It is the most sparsely populated province in the country...
. It also serves as the main highway of the western half of Central Province
Central Province, Zambia
Central Province is one of Zambia's nine provinces. The provincial capital is Kabwe, home of the Mulungushi Rock of Authority, founder home of UNIP, the ruling political party in the second republic ....
.
In the Copperbelt, however, the road going west to Solwezi
Solwezi
Solwezi is the capital of the North Western Province of Zambia. Solwezi has approximately 65,000 inhabitants at an elevation of 1235 m above sea level...
also used to be known as the Great West Road. At that time Copperbelt Province
Copperbelt Province
Copperbelt Province in Zambia covers the mineral-rich Copperbelt, and farming and bush areas to the south. It was the backbone of the Northern Rhodesian economy during British colonial rule and fuelled the hopes of the immediate post-independence period, but its economic importance was severely...
was, despite its central location, known as Western Province.
Road development was slower to start in the west of the country than in other parts. A dirt road was built from the Great North Road at Landless Corner to Mumbwa
Mumbwa
Mumbwa is a town in the Central Province of Zambia, lying on the Great West Road. Its district covers the western part of the Central Province bordering Kaoma and Western Province to the west, Namwala and Southern Province to the south, Lusaka and Lusaka Province to the east, Kasempa and...
in the early 1930s, but was not extended to Kaoma
Kaoma, Zambia
Kaoma is a town in Zambia. It is the headquarters of Kaoma District in the Western Province.-Location:Kaoma is located approximately , by road, west of Lusaka, the capital of Zambia and its largest city. At Kaoma, the Great West Road , meets the Kaoma-Kasempa Road . This location lies west of Kafue...
and Mongu until 1937, about ten years after road transport
Transport in Zambia
-Railways in Zambia:Total: 2,164 km -Zambia Rail Network Map:-Principal lines:* Zambia Railways Limited — narrow gauge, 846 km Kitwe-Ndola-New Kapiri Mposhi-Kabwe-Lusaka-Livingstone-Zimbabwe with several freight branches mostly in the Copperbelt totalling 427 km including to DR Congo...
started in other provinces. The Great West Road did not have the same recognition and maintenance as the better-known Great North Road and Great East Road, and was also for a time only the third most used route to the west. A route by ox wagon and boat up the Zambezi
Zambezi
The Zambezi is the fourth-longest river in Africa, and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. The area of its basin is , slightly less than half that of the Nile...
from Livingstone
Livingstone, Zambia
Livingstone or Maramba is a historic colonial city and present capital of the Southern Province of Zambia, a tourism centre for the Victoria Falls lying north of the Zambezi River, and a border town with road and rail connections to Zimbabwe on the other side of the Falls...
was the most used in the first decades of the 20th century. A road was made from Mululwe, the end of the Mulobezi Railway
Mulobezi Railway
The Mulobezi Railway was constructed to carry timber from Mulobezi to Livingstone in the Southern Province of Zambia, when the country was Northern Rhodesia...
, along the banks of the Luampa River and then across the sandy plain to Mongu about the same time as the Great West Road was built and, thanks to the railway, was used more, until the 1950s.
The first Great West Road was a dirt road with pontoon ferries across rivers such as the Kafue
Kafue River
The Kafue River sustains one of the world's great wildlife environments. It is a major tributary of the Zambezi, and of Zambia's principal rivers, it is the most central and the most urban, and the longest and largest lying wholly within Zambia....
. It passed through only two towns: Mumbwa and Kaoma. The first 100 km passed through farmland and bush north of the Kafue Flats and like the middle section crossing the Kafue National Park
Kafue National Park
Kafue National Park is the largest national park in Zambia, covering an area of about 22,400 km² . It is the second largest park in Africa and is home to over 55 different species of animals....
, was constructed with laterite
Laterite
Laterites are soil types rich in iron and aluminium, formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are rusty-red because of iron oxides. They develop by intensive and long-lasting weathering of the underlying parent rock...
gravel. Most of the last third passes through virtually uninhabited bush with no streams or rivers. It is completely dry except after rain in the wet season and is very sandy, which took its toll on trucks and their drivers, as vehicles could get bogged in sand in the dry season, in addition to the usual rainy season hazards of floods and washed-out sections.
The fact that the road started at Landless Corner, 69 km north of Lusaka, suited traffic to and from the Copperbelt. Lusaka did not become the capital of the country until about the time the road was built and it was not until the late 1940s that it became an importatnt centre. A shortcut to Lusaka from Mumbwa via Nakachenje, bypassing Landless Corner, was built around this time.
The Great West Road was first paved around 1969, to a new alignment which, controversially for the residents of those towns, bypassed Mumbwa and Kaoma by a few kilometres. The Nakachenje branch was paved a little later. A lack of maintenance through the late 1970s and 1980s meant that by the 1990s the pavement was in bad condition and had lost in some sections. The Nakachenje branch was in better condition and became accepted as being the Great West Road while the Landless Corner section was neglected, and by 2005, was a poor dirt road.
In the last decade the Great West Road has been rehabilitated and in 2005 was classed as being in good condition.
Westwards extension
An ambitious project, the Barotse Floodplain causeway was started in 2002 to extend the Great West Road from Mongu to Kalabo on a 46-kilometre causewayCauseway
In modern usage, a causeway is a road or railway elevated, usually across a broad body of water or wetland.- Etymology :When first used, the word appeared in a form such as “causey way” making clear its derivation from the earlier form “causey”. This word seems to have come from the same source by...
across the Barotse Floodplain
Barotse Floodplain
The Barotse Floodplain also known as the Bulozi Plain, Lyondo or the Zambezi Floodplain is one of Africa's great wetlands, on the Zambezi River in the Western Province of Zambia...
, via the ferry across the Zambezi's main channel at Sandaula, which would then be replaced by a 500-metre bridge. Originally intended to be completed in 2006, it has been delayed by technical problems of building on the floodplain, and consequent funding problems. The long term intention is to then continue the highway into Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
and to connect with its road network as a new trade route for Zambia to Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
ports. If this happens despite the environmental problems of crossing the floodplain, the road could finally rival the Great East Road and the Great North Road in Zambia's network.