The Ministry of Infrastructure (MINIFRA) yesterday announced plans to   replace all mal-functioning weigh-bridges at Rwanda’s border posts and replace them with modern ones that give accurate results.

The revelation was at the eve of the axle load control programme, a campaign to reduce vehicle overloading on the road network, whose purpose, according to the ministry, is to prolong the service life of roads in Rwanda.

A statement from the ministry indicates that a survey will be conducted by the Ministry from November 26 to December 11 to determine the extent of overloading in Rwanda. 

"The purpose of the awareness campaign is to educate and give out information to the transport industry on the Axle Load control programme.

"This will enable the transport industry to change their current practices and abide by the legal axle load limits in preparation for the full enforcement of the law,” said Eng Linda Bihire, the Minister of Infrastructure in a statement.

The Ministry also outlined its main objectives to create a robust and efficient control system of road network to curb illegal overloading and to enable the reduction of the number of accidents caused by overloaded vehicles.

MININFRA has also revealed the new Permitted Weight Limits, which it says are in accordance with the East African Community (EAC) regulations on axle-load.

The Weight Limits are as follows: One Axle (single) 10 tons, Two Axles (tandem) 16 tons, Three Axles (tridem) 24 tons, Gross Vehicle Mass 56 tons and Vehicle Length (max) 22m.

According to MINIFRA, the new electronic weigh-bridges will have public displays and their recorded readings will not be accessible to the weigh bridge operators, a feature, it says, that will help curb corruption through manipulation of results. 

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