Africa-Press – Tanzania. THE construction of strategic eight-lane Kimara-Kibaha road is set for extension to allow inclusion of other features for making of the highway to be more modern.
The 161bn/- project was initially planned to be completed this month, but under new plans the project would take some more time to be completed.
Among additional features to cost a total of 55bn/- include traffic lights, road lights, overpasses, constructing feeder roads towards the new Magufuli Bus Terminal at Mbezi Mwisho.
The revelations were made yesterday when a newly appointed Works and Transport Minister Prof Makame Mbarawa inspected the project together with the top officials of the Tanzania National Roads Agency (TANROADS).
Chief Executive Officer of the TANROADS, Eng Rogatus Mativila, told the minister that board will sit this week to discuss the proposed works and budget before submitting it to the ministry’s Permanent Secretary next Monday for approving and giving permit to sign contract with a contractor, Estim Construction Company Ltd, for starting implementation.
However, Prof Mbarawa told the TANROADS that the process must not take long, insisting that the paperwork within the government have to be completed by next week.
“There were some few things that have changed as the project was in progress, such as building of Magufuli Bus terminal, so we are also going to cope with those changes to accommodate them in this project,” Prof Mbarawa said during an interview.
He added: “We want this 8-lane section be modern and we will ensure that it is completed within time.”
Meanwhile, Prof Mbarawa directed that the road scanner that the government had purchased to check quality of constructed roads should be taken from the ministry to the TANROADS and start being used for intended purpose.
The minister’s directive followed after noticing that since the scanner worth over 1bn/- was bought, it remained idle at the ministry while the agency fails to check quality of roads and cause loss to the government.
After touring the Kimara-Kibaha 8-lane, the minister went to inspect the Gerezani-Mbagala Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) where he expressed satisfaction with the pace of the construction but was unpleased to learn that about 1-kilometre section was being built poorly with visible cracks.
Prof Mbarawa therefore ordered the Chinese contractor, Sinohydro Company, to reconstruct the whole section at their own costs.
