Africa-Press – Tanzania. Yuan Rui, the Sinohydro Corporation project manager, said at a press briefing yesterday at the end of a tour to witness progress of the project that the 23km stretch of BRT was at an advanced stage.
“Right now we’re clearing the road and installling traffic lights before the handing over exercise, which will be next month,” he said, asserting that the project is meant to provide reliable and cost-effective transport facilities.
This will improve urban mobility, connectivity and accessibility in commuting to business activity, thus supporting economic growth and social uplift of the city, he stated.
The project is expected to benefit upwards of 1.2m people on a daily basis living in that section of city, about 25 percent of the city population, bringing positive impacts to zone and the city as a whole.
Having completed all major works, the firm is finalising auxiliary tasks like setting up signal lights, ahead of handing over the road, also projecting that the road will help disadvantaged group such as women, school children and the handicapped.
Depending on the number of buses put on the road and number of passengers, these groups can gain from more spacious public transport especially during the peak hours, he said.
There is also a likelihood of an improvement in the trading environment with increased accessibility, which promotes new market facilities, improved sanitation and cutting bottlenecks to traffic flows, he further noted.
Economic activity centres such as industrial zones will be boosted when workers face fewer hurdles to arrive at work or at home, he said.
Kichawele Mruma, the company’s safety officer, cited some of the challenges the road builders faced as congestion of petty vendors along the project corridor, impeding work at various instances.
The firm also faced vandalism of tools in the project as newly installed materials like electric wires and PVC pipes were being grabbed by thieves, in the absence of reliable site guards, compelling the contractor to keep repeating work already done, he added.
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