No abstract

The project focussed on the design of a link road to connect the Beitbridge-Chirundu Highway to Harare Drive and Kirkman Road in Harare, Zimbabwe. The proposed link road is approximately 17 km long. The link road will alleviate traffic flowing into Harare by linking the missing portion of Harare drive a ring road to a major highway. A manual traffic count was carried out to determine the percentage of heavy vehicles in transit on the highway. The results were compared to historic traffic counts. The analysis was carried out using QGIS and AchiCAD softwares, Microsoft excel and AutoCAD. The geometric design of the link road and intersection was carried out based on guidelines for Southern Africa roads. The link road and grade separated intersection with a design life of 20 years was designed. It is recommended that traffic flow be diverted and extra caution be taken during the construction.

The main objective of the research was to investigate the structural cracks for infrastructure at the anonymous Hospital in Zimbabwe and recommend the appropriate engineering solutions to the structural problems. Desk studies, geotechnical and materials investigations and investigations of the structural designs for the existing infrastructure was conducted. Geotechnical tests included sieve analysis, soil indicator, shear strength, direct cone penetrometer, chemical dispersive and California bearing ratio tests. Most of the cracks were structural cracks. The foundation depth was determined as 1.5 m for a bearing capacity more than 100 kPa. The causes of cracks included use of substandard bricks and construction materials, thick mortar and inadequate foundation depth. The dispersive test also proved that the soils are sodic in nature. It is recommended to use reinforced strip foundations and deep foundations when constructing infrastructure at the site. Heavy duty concrete foundation underpinning is recommended for the existing buildings.

This project focused on analyzing and redesigning of Simon Mazorodze/Chitungwiza road intersection in Harare, Zimbabwe. Different types of intersections and the cost effective ways of improving roundabout intersections were analyzed using standard procedure. A 96 hour manual traffic survey was conducted at the intersection to determine the current traffic volumes and current capacity of the intersection and then determination of the current intersection performance. Microsoft office, Spreadsheets and AutoCAD were used for design analysis. The results showed that the intersection was not able to handle the high traffic volumes passing through it, hence the justification of upgrading the current intersection. The most appropriate design was chosen, which is designing of a roundabout with bypass slip lanes according to American Standards. The study concluded that the proposed design is able to cope with the traffic for a design life of 20 years. An overpass is recommended to cater for pedestrians.