The Road to Manono, page-5

Appreciate it 8Horse!  Here is something you will like




Here is an interesting post from July about surveying work on the path through some mountains to Manono near the village of Tambo.  They mention that the purpose of this trip is to survey the area for new bridge building activity.  This activity is a mere 120km south of Manono.





JULY 14, 2017


petite carte postale du tronçon le plus pénible de la Route provinciale 617. il s'agit des escarpement du mont mulumbi.
De Mitwaba au mont mulumbi, la distance à parcourir est de 60 kilomètres que nous avons effectués en 4 heures de temps, parcourant plusieurs chaines de montagne dont la plus dangereuse est celle nommée mont Mulumbi, et des passages à guet de plusieurs cours d’eaux qui nécessiteraient une dizaines de dalots. Les endroits les plus pénibles sont localisés dans les escarpements. La route taillée sur le flanc des montagnes ne permet que très rarement le dépassement ou encore le croisement de deux véhicules.
A l’entrée du mont Mulumbi situé à environ 57 kilomètres de Mitwaba, un dispositif rudimentaire permet de vérifier si la route est occupée par un véhicule. Il s’agit d’une jante de camion suspendue à une branche sur laquelle on frappe à l’aide d’un métal aussi fort qu’on peu avant de tendre l’oreille pour savoir si à l’autre bout de la piste, dans le village Tambo on nous répond. En l’absence d’une réponse on peut s’engager.
A la sortie du mont Mulumbi se trouve le village Tambo ou se trouve le second poste d’alerte de ce dispositif rudimentaire pour vérifier l’occupation ou non de la voie dans le col de cette montagne.
A 300 mètres de ce village, sur la rivière MENGA a été jeté le premier pont du même nom. 600 mètres plus loin se trouve le pont KALUME NGONGO 2. Ces deux ponts, objet principal de notre mission nécessitent une réhabilitation comme on sait le voir sur ces illustrations.


Small postcard of the most difficult section of Provincial Highway 617. This is the Escarpment of Mount Mulumbi.
From Mitwaba to Mount Mulumbi, the distance to be covered is 60 kilometers that we made in 4 hours of time, running through several mountain ranges, the most dangerous of which is the one called Mount Mulumbi, and watchtowers of several streams which would require dozens of scuppers. The most painful places are located in the escarpments. The road cut on the side of the mountains only rarely allows passing or the crossing of two vehicles.
At the entrance to Mount Mulumbi, about 57 kilometers from Mitwaba, a rudimentary device makes it possible to check if the road is occupied by a vehicle. It is a truck rim suspended on a branch that is hit with a metal as hard as it is before you reach out to know if at the other end of the track, in the village Tambo we are answered. In the absence of an answer we can commit ourselves.
At the exit of Mount Mulumbi is the village Tambo where is the second alert station of this rudimentary device to check the occupation or not of the way in the neck of this mountain.
At 300 meters from this village, on the MENGA river was thrown the first bridge of the same name. 600 meters further is the bridge KALUME NGONGO 2. These two bridges, the main object of our mission require rehabilitation as we can see in these illustrations.


The exit from the mountains into Tambo village along with the google earth satellite image.





The existing bridges that will need to be replaced and the CREC-7 crew with Chinese contingent inspecting.




Little off topic and further south, the condition of the road after Dikuluwe.  Not bad in July with bitumen to come.  





More to come!