Windhoek's Western Bypass is set for a major safety overhaul, with the government committing N$70 million toward pedestrian bridge construction along one of the capital's busiest and most dangerous arterial roads.

Minister of Works and Transport Veikko Nekundi confirmed in the National Assembly that approved designs are already in place, with contractors expected on site between late November and December.

The pedestrian bridge cost - pegged at roughly N$35 million per structure - has sparked immediate debate, with opposition voices demanding a detailed breakdown of how taxpayer funds will be spent.

The price tag has rattled some quarters of the public and parliament alike, with concerns raised about whether the figures reflect genuine infrastructure needs or leave room for the cost overruns that have dogged major state projects in the past.

The bridges are a direct response to years of deadly pedestrian incidents along the Western Bypass, a high-speed corridor that cuts through densely populated parts of Windhoek, forcing workers and residents to dash across multiple lanes of fast-moving traffic.

The issue was brought to a head in parliament by a member representing workers in the China Town precinct, who noted that employees were arriving late to work because unsafe road conditions forced them onto inconvenient alternative routes - placing their livelihoods at risk.

Speed humps installed along the bypass as an interim measure have drawn both praise and criticism.

Nekundi stood firmly behind the calming infrastructure, noting that several of the humps predate many sitting parliamentarians and are embedded in the laws passed by the very assembly now questioning them.

The minister pointed to a striking shift in pedestrian safety outcomes since the humps were introduced - zero pedestrian crash incidents recorded along the affected stretch.

The Roads Authority has been active along the B1 Western Bypass, rolling out speed-reduction measures between the Independence Avenue Interchange near Katutura State Hospital and the Lafrenz Interchange, with additional work extending toward Windhoek Country Club Resort.

Looking beyond the two confirmed structures, Nekundi hinted at a broader vision - three to four additional pedestrian bridges near the Windhoek Country Club Resort corridor are under consideration for the next financial year.

That stretch of road has long been a flashpoint for pedestrian-vehicle conflict, and residents in surrounding neighbourhoods say the urgency cannot be overstated.

For a city growing as fast as Windhoek, advocates argue that pedestrian bridge construction along the Western Bypass is not a luxury — it is long overdue infrastructure that should have arrived years ago.