Chinese Government provides $70 million grant for Karonga-Chitipa Road (Bingu Highway) Project (Linked to Record ID#69242)

Project narrative

On March 17, 2008, the Chinese Government issued a $70 million grant to the Government of Malawi for the construction of the completion of the Karonga-Chitipa Road (also known as Bingu Highway) in the northern region of Malawi. The funds for this project took the place of the original financier, the Republic of China (Taiwan), when Malawi ended diplomatic relations with Taiwan. An interest-free loan provided for the project is captured in #69242. The project involves the completion of the construction of 101 km Karonga - Chitipa Road (M26) to Bitumen Standard Class I road. The China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) is the contractor for the first 13 km section between Karonga and Mwesya bridge for a total contract value of USD70 million. The design consultant is China Highway Planning and Design Institute (HPDI), who is operating under CRBC because the contract is for design and build. The contractor has completed the first phase and is currently working on the second phase where all major structures and earthworks are completed. Pavement layers are in progress with stone crushing for pavement layers and surfacing chippings in advanced stage. According to the Malawi Roads Authority source, the project began on March 17, 2008 and the initial completion date was April 17, 2010, which was revised to October 30, 2011. However, the completion date was further revised to June 30, 2012 because of shortage of diesel and increased quantities of work items. The overall progress is 80.3%. The completion date has been changed from June 30, 2012 to 31st December, 2012 because of diesel shortage and change in pavement design from natural gravel to crushed stone. The official opening ceremony was held on January 7, 2013.