Tanzania: Billions of shillings set aside for Dar es Salaam-Morogoro-Dodoma Road improvement

What you need to know:

The government is filling potholes; building a new road and improving bridges at Kibamba, Kiluvya and Mpiji. The contract to that effect was signed on July 13, 2018 between Tanzania Roads Agency and Estim Construction Co. Ltd whereby a total of Sh140.4 billion will be spent. The job is scheduled to be completed within 30 months.

Dodoma. The government is spending billions of shillings on construction and rehabilitation of the Dar es Salaam-Morogoro-Dodoma Road as it seeks to simplify travelling from the commercial and political capitals of the country and beyond.

The money includes the Sh140.4 billion that is being spent on the construction of a 19-kilometre stretch between Kimara in Dar es Salaam and Kibaha in the Coast Region.

“The government is filling potholes; building a new road and improving bridges at Kibamba, Kiluvya and Mpiji. The contract to that effect was signed on July 13, 2018 between Tanzania Roads Agency and Estim Construction Co. Ltd whereby a total of Sh140.4 billion will be spent. The job is scheduled to be completed within 30 months,” the Deputy Minister for Works, Transport and Communications, Mr Elias Kwandikwa said in Parliament on Thursday, June 20, 2019.

He said there was also a project to expand the existing road.

Actual expansion of the existing road between Kimara and Kibaha was launched by President John Magufuli on December 19, 2018, said Mr Kwandikwa, noting that so far, the expansion project progress has reached 18.8 per cent.

Mr Kwandikwa was responding to a question from Mr Juma Kombo Hamad (Wingwi - CUF), who wanted to know what the government was doing to fill potholes and improve the Dar es Salaam-Morogoro-Dodoma Road.

He said during the 2018/19 financial year, the Coast Region set aside Sh2.5 billion while the Central Government set aside another Sh3.962 billion for the rehabilitation exercise.

Morogoro Region set aside a total of Sh4.481 billion while Dodoma budgeted Sh1.079 billion for rehabilitating the stretch between Dodoma and Gairo.

According to Mr Kandikwa, the government was exploring various ways to reduce traffic jam in Dar es Salaam, saying a decision to build the Msata-Bagamoyo-Dar es Salaam Road was yet another initiative towards easing the flow of traffic to and from the commercial city.