R3 road (Zimbabwe)


R3 Highway is a primary road in Zimbabwe from the capital city Harare to Chirundu.

Background

The highway is also known as the Harare-Chirundu Highway. Its historical and popular name is the A1 Highway and is 354 kilometres long. In Harare it can be picked up at the intersection of Samora Machel Avenue and Leopold Takawira Street. Follow Leopold Takawira north and turn right into Hebert Chitepo Avenue, then left into Sam Nujoma Street up to Lomagundi Road at coordinates, and from Chirundu it can be picked from the Chirundu Bridge or the Otto Beit Bridge.

Pan African Highway Link

Together with the R1 Highway which runs from Harare to Beitbridge, the R3 Highway is part of the North-South Corridor which is the Cape to Cairo Road. Chirundu to Beitbridge is 897 kilometres.
The Trans-African Highway 4, alias the Cairo-Cape Town Highway, is a road network being developed with the collaboration of the African Union, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the African Development Bank. Its length is about 10,228 kilometers connecting Cape Town and Cairo, along with Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, and the Sudan. There are two possible routes in Zimbabwe connecting Zambia and South Africa. The first is from Lusaka to Beitbridge via Victoria Falls and the other is from Lusaka to Beitbridge via Chirundu, Zimbabwe. The Chirundu Route is shorter but not the fastest. For Trans-African Highway transporters, both Zimbabwean routes are slower and costly.
Together with the R5 Highways it forms part of the Beira-Lobito Highway which is the Trans-African Highway Network route number 9.

Rehabilitation

The A1 Highway is currently under rehabilitation together with other regional road corridors in Zimbabwe.
Most highways in Zimbabwe are more than 30 years old, outliving their 20-year life span, and they need rehabilitation.
The rehabilitation of this highway is in conformation of the Sadc Regional Infrastructure Master Plan for the North-South Corridor.
North-South Corridor is a passage for Southern Africa Development Community exports to the North, and imports to the South. It is important in the handling of regional traffic within Sadc and Comesa.

Waypoints

Waypoints from South to North; Harare to Chirundu.

Banket

The first significant waypoint from Harare is Banket. This waypoint is usually overlapped by motorists because it is only 24.7 km before Chinhoyi.
-17.38333, 30.4

Chinhoyi

Entering Chinhoyi, the first billboard encountered just after the Manyame Bridge notifies one of a rest place just a kilometre away. Ten years from opening its doors, the Chinhoyi University of Technology Hotel has become a favourite stop-over for travellers along the Harare-Chirundu Highway.
When you live Chinhoyi towards Karoi about 10 kilometres north,. The caves are a stopover option for those not wanting to stop in town. Open hours are 0700 hrs to 1700 hrs.

Karoi

is about 85 kilometres by road, north-west of Chinhoyi, or about 200 kilometres from Harare and 154 kilometres before Chirundu.
About north of Karoi towards Makuti, the Karoi-Gokwe-Binga Roads turns right and eventually reaches Matusadona National Park. Sanyati Bridge is along this road, west.

Makuti

is the last significant waypoint before Chirundu. The M15 highway branches sharply right here to Kariba through to Zambia’s Siavonga Border Post via the Kariba Dam wall.

Marongora

Marongora Wildlife Campsite is about from Chinhoyi towards Chirundu, that is just more than northwest of Harare. Tickets to Manna Pools are obtained here.
External link.
External link.

Bridges

There are several high-level bridges along the highway. However, during the floods of January 2015 some bridges between Chinhoyi and Karoi flooded, a very rare scenario.
Chikuti River Bridge was blocked by flowing water near Lion’s Den before Mhangura Road turn-off. and Denga River Bridge was also blocked.