Why we’re a bit late in jumping on flyovers bandwagon

Tanzanite Bridge in Dar ces Salaam is open, and the people are jubilant. Tweets have been sent, selfies taken, and exploratory rides made. Who wouldn’t wish to be a part of such a great achievement? The people are yearning for a taste of the future, and that’s what such bridges provide.

It is gold.

So, it wasn’t surprising then that the powers that be chose that moment to announce that they are ready to undertake yet another big project – the construction of the United Nations Road Interchange. Capitalising on the euphoria to make the most of political mileage, and ensuring that as few questions as possible about the project are asked is a good strategy.

But questions must be asked.

After the opening of Mfugale Flyover, I wrote a piece that had this statement: “Investment in flyovers may prove counterproductive. Flyovers ease traffic at specific junctions by pushing it to subsequent junctions. Thus, their impact is limited.”

That statement was bold. It is always perilous for a generalist to directly contradict the commonly accepted wisdom of the specialists in the field. As a generalist, one’s dilemma always leads to the question – is there something relevant I have not thought of? That doesn’t give one a sure foundation for bold statements.

However, as a nation, unless we learn to speak openly to each other without fear, progress will be elusive. The last thing we need is to embrace sub-standard ideas because we are afraid of being wrong, or worse still, because we are afraid of telling our superiors that they are wrong. Excellence is priceless.

After the opening of Mfugale Flyover, the Ubungo and Tanzanite projects quickly followed. The latest information about the imminent construction of the United Nations Road interchange is no longer news. It is part of the plan to build many other flyovers in Dar es Salaam at Morocco, Chang’ombe, Uhasibu, Tabata, Mwenge, and Magomeni junctions. In short, flyovers have become Tanzania’s latest infrastructure obsession.

However, given that Mfugale, Ubungo, and Tanzanite cost a total of Sh610 billion, the nation’s appetite for these expensive projects is quite baffling. Worse still, the evidence clearly shows that flyovers are not appropriate solutions for traffic congestion.

Half a century ago, South Korea was where we are today. Their visionary leader, General Park Chung Hee, was in office, and he wanted things to happen fast. Park believed in infrastructure – on a grand scale. Thus, the eight-lane 430km Kyungbu Expressway was completed in only two years, mountains on the path notwithstanding. At the opening ceremony, the general turned to the contractor, and asked, “What do you know about making cars?” He didn’t know anything, but he said: “I can do it.”

That’s how Hyundai, a construction company, became a carmaker!

When cars started flowing out of factory floors, congestion followed. So, South Korea did what it knew best – building big flyovers. Big, bold and beautiful. And flyovers do what flyovers do best – they remove a bottleneck from one point and take it to another. However, since people needed to get to their offices fast, more flyovers were built – 86 in total!

As decades passed by, people started thinking – why are we all going to the city centre? City planners changed their perspective. Then they realised that the neighbourhoods next to the interchanges were left behind. While initially there were thriving businesses, now that people don’t stop there anymore, stagnation arrived. You have to feel for those who have invested in Tazara and Ubungo areas. Then the space below the flyovers became dumping sites, avoided by the public, and attracting criminal elements.

One of the most notorious of those flyovers was in Seoul – a 5.6km elevated freeway built on top of a channellised river.

While previously the river valley was an open sewer, the government’s solution, the Cheonggyecheon Highway, was an overpass on top of a concrete channel. But in the early 2000s, the then mayor and future president of South Korea, Lee Myung-Bak, successfully campaigned for the restoration of the Cheonggyecheon. The Cheonggyecheon River Urban Park Project started by deconstructing the overpass, all of it, then restoring the river and creating the linear urban park. Today, the project has been widely successful, creating a tourist magnet right in the middle of the city.

Between 2002 and 2014, South Korean has brought down 17 flyovers and adopted alternative approaches to traffic management. In all cases but one, traffic flow has improved. That, on top of other benefits, shows that alternative approaches are much more beneficial compared to flyovers.

This is the trend that is evident around the world. In India, this has caused an uproar as people question the profligacy that is flyovers. In the West, the trend is also shifting. It is quite unfortunate that Tanzania is joining this flyover craze this late – but it is too late. The world has wisened up.

Flyovers are a mirage, providing only an illusion of progress. They are very expensive while serving only a small percentage of the community. The amount spent on the Tanzanite, Ubungo, and Tazara projects could have built 150 kilometres of bus rapid transit (BRT) corridors – six times the size of the current network. That would have served 5 million people, and removed hundreds of thousands of vehicles from the roads without spending an extra dime.

So, why are we still doing flyovers?