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Passengers, motorists are reportedly still stranded as repair works have stalled due to heavy rains at the collapsed Great East Road section in Runfusa District.
Heavy rains have delayed the reconnection of Eastern Province to Lusaka following the washing away of culverts at Kankhumba Stream in Rufunsa District along the Great East Road on Thursday afternoon.
Traffic had initially been expected to resume through a detour being constructed by the Road Development Agency (RDA) and the Zambia National Service (ZNS).
This is according to a joint statement issued in Lusaka on Saturday by Lusaka Province Principal Public Relations Officer, Logic Lukwanda and Ministry of Defence Principal Public Relations Officer, Paul Shalala.
“The current situation is that there is traffic build-up both east- and west-bound, leaving motorists travelling in both directions stranded, except for buses which are exchanging passengers and goods and making U-turns,” Lukwanda and Shalala said.
According to the duo, works commenced on Friday, December 27, 2025, with engineers reportedly working throughout the night to restore traffic flow.
Read More: Eastern Province cut off as bridge collapses on Great East road
“The placing of culverts on the detour that is crossing the same stream is underway as works have reached 60 percent before the diversion is ready for traffic,” Lukwanda and Shalala said.
They stated that engineers on site had projected that traffic would be restored by late afternoon today, as work had been prioritised to speed up completion.
The duo disclosed that ZNS had delivered acrow bridge panels ahead of the installation of a temporary bridge, with works expected to be completed within 72 hours.
ZNS Commander Lieutenant General Maliti Solochi II and Lusaka Province Minister Sheal Mulyata visited the site to assess the extent of the damage.
Meanwhile, President Hakainde Hichilema has directed the Zambia Army, ZNS and the Road Development Agency to conduct a nationwide assessment of roads, particularly bridges, and report on their condition to enable proactive interventions rather than waiting for disasters.
“To deal with the sanitation aspect, the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit in Rufunsa have made available mobile toilets and an ambulance at the site to attend to the hundreds of people who are stranded on either side of the road,” Lukwanda and Shalala said.
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