THE Tanzania National Roads Agency (TanRoads) has revealed that a contract for the construction of the 390 meter long and 15 meter high Jangwani bridge project in Dar es Salaam city is expected to be signed next month.

The contract whose preparations have been completed will be constructed for 24 months stretching from the central business district of Kariakoo to Magomeni suburb which will be known as the Jangwani bridge.

Ephatar Mlavi, TanRoads Acting Chief Executive Officer said yesterday that the cost of the project will be made public when the contract is signed.

"The preparation of the contract for the construction of this bridge has been completed and we expect it to be signed next month and immediately start its implementation," said Mlavi.

Speaking in Parliament three weeks ago, the Minister for Works Innocent Bashungwa, said that the project is financed by concessional loan secured from the World Bank where the procurement procedures to hire a contractor for the construction of the bridge are in the final stages.

The minister promised in parliament that the contract will be signed before the end of this month (September 2024).

"We are collaborating with the President’s Office through the Dar es Salaam Metropolitan Development Project in the construction of this bridge particularly in construction of the banks of the Msimbazi River and in compensation," said Bashungwa.

Explaining TanRoads success for the past three years, Mlavi said the agency oversees the construction, repair and maintenance of roads and bridges on a road network with a total length of 37,225.71 kilometers.

He said that of the total network, the earth road network has increased to 12,028.65 kilometers and gravel roads covering 25,197.06 kilometers and a total of 9,563 bridges.

Mlavi said that between the financial years 2019/20 and 2022/23, the average number of contracts signed by TanRoads with local contractors per year for road maintenance was pegged at 1,067.

He said the average cost spent on road construction per year is 411.18bn/-. In order to build the capacity of local contractors, TanRoads has been allocating ten percent of the annual development budget for practical training projects.

It has been allocating at least 30 percent of the development budget in favor of local contractors alongside allocating at least five percent of the budget for development projects for special groups.

Following the effects of the El-Nino rains that damaged the roads this year, TanRoads has been working to restore the infrastructure to good condition.

Until the end of August this year, a total of 15,343.88 kilometers have been at various stages of construction. 1,198.50 kilometers have been completed at earth road level.

2,031.11 kilometers are under construction at the earth road level. A total of 2,052.94 kilometers and two bridges have been completed with feasibility studies ready to be constructed at the tarmac level.

"A total of 4,734.43 kilometers and 10 bridges are at the feasibility study stage. Road projects covering 5,326.90 kilometers and seven bridges are at the feasibility study and detailed design stage in preparation for the construction of tarmac roads," said Mlavi.

With regard to roads construction projects targeting at equipping people’s economic activities, earlier this month Tanzania Rural and Urban Roads Agency (TARURA) said that a total of 19 tenders for issuing of contracts for the building of tarmac roads have been floated by the Agency for the second phase of the Dar es Salaam Metropolitan Development Project (DMDP).

Victor Seif, the TARURA chief executive officer, said that ten contracts are in final approval stages by the TARURA procurement board, with nine contracts being evaluated.

The second phase of DMDP is billed at $438m and implemented over a period of six years in the five districts of Dar es Salaam city, to build tarmac roads covering 250 kilometers. 

It also involves constructing storm water canals stretching a total of 90 kilometers, nine commuter bus stations, 18 markets and three landfills, which he said will benefit 3.98m city residents.

Markets listed for improvement are those of Tegeta Nyuki, Sinza, Msumi and three fish markets in Mbweni suburb, with the landfills slated for Kigamboni, Ilala and Mabwepande. Commuter bus stations are scheduled for Tegeta Nyuki and Kigamboni, he said.

The project, ‘roads to inclusion and socioeconomic opportunities’ is funded by the World Bank, intended for improving rural roads to uplift economic opportunities, increasing job openings in the various districts.

The overall project costs 823bn/- ($350m), where 705bn/- is a concessional loan from World Bank-IDA and 118bn/- is co-financing by the government, he stated.

Total road stretches for the phases relate to tarmac roads covering 535km where 400kmi of the roads fall within TARURA and 135kmo under the Tanzania Roads Agency (TanRoads).

The loan agreement was signed in August 2021 and implemented three months later, in November, where two earth roads in Iringa were taken up, covering 33km and Wenda-Mgama, stretching 19 kilometers, he said.

Mtilili to Ifyagi road improvement covering 14km in Iringa and Mufindi districts has 60 percent completion so far, he said, highlighting that during the fiscal. 2022/23 and 2023/24 TARURA finished the construction of a 12.8km tarmac road and a rain[1]water drainage canal in Mbweni suburb of the city.

Steel bridges linking Kihansi and Mlimba plus Ruipa and Kilombero in Morogoro Region were built, among eight strategic projects implemented during the two fiscal years, he added.