By STAFF REPORTER
A grand project for the construction of roads network and other priority infrastructures within a total of 45 city councils across the country is set to commence from September this year.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Tanzania Rural and Urban Roads Agency (TARURA), Eng. Victor Seff.
To be executed through the Tanzania Cities Transforming Infrastructure and Competitiveness (TACTIC) project, the eagerly- awaited initiative has been designed for implementation under three different tiers, and will entail construction and face-lifting of numerous infrastructure within the beneficiary cities, including roads, markets, commuter bus terminals as well as storm water drainage systems, among others.According to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Tanzania Rural and Urban Roads Agency (TARURA), Eng. Victor Seff, implementation of the project's first tier is expected to take of from September this year.
Expecting to gobble up to USD 228m, the robust project’s first tier will be implemented in Dodoma, Arusha, Kigoma, Tabora, Mwanza, Ilemela, Geita, Kahama, Morogoro, Songea, Sumbawanga and Mbeya.
And as per the project’s set-up, improvement of the infrastructures varies from cities to cities basing on priorities of each city, according to him.
"Process for getting eligible consultant experts for the design of priority infrastructures within 15 cities that fall under the project’s second tier has started by announcing a tender on July 16, 2023, and after getting the consultants, the goal is to start designing in November 2023," he expressed.
The TARURA's chief boss unveiled that identification of the projects to be implemented under the project’s third tier was continued in order to prepare terms of reference for the official design.
"This work will be done in tandem with the preparation of an ambitious urban development plan (Planning scheme)," he expressed.
He further communicated that tender for the implementation of the third tier, to involve at least 18 city councils, is expected to be advertised in January 2024.
And he mentioned the other city councils that have been lined for benefiting from the project’s second and third tiers as Tanga, Moshi, Kibaha, Korogwe, Singida, Babati, Iringa, Njombe, Shinyanga, Bariadi and Musoma.
Others are Bukoba, Mpanda, Lindi, Mtwara, Kasulu, Mnyamba, Masasi, Tunduma, Makambako, Handeni, Bagamayo, Tarime, Bunda, Chato, Mbulu, Mbinga, Nzega, Kondoa, Newala, Ifakara, Mafinga and Vwawa.
Through the TACTIC project, the World Bank (WB), has rolled out a total of USD 360m to support implementation of the grand project across the mentioned 45 city councils.
WB has decided to inject the country with the lucrative funds to support improvement of key infrastructures within the cities after being satisfied with the good manner, as well as value for money, demonstrated by the country during implementation of different prior WB’s project in Tanzania.
The prior project that was implemented under WB funds in the country include the Urban Local Government Strengthening Program (ULGSP), Dar es Salaam Metropolitan Development Project (DMDP) as well as the Tanzania Strategic Cities Project (TSCP) which was executed during 2011-2020, through funds from the World Bank (IDA Credit) and a grant from the Government of the Kingdom of Denmark.
Apart from the project, eng. Seff informed that TARURA also plans to implement other projects in this fiscal year (2023/24).
The envisaged projects, according to him, will entail rehabilitation and construction of road network in different districts, and at different status.
"For instance, we're planning to repair at least 21,057.06km stretch of the country’s road network, whereby the development will also incorporate construction of a total of 427 km stretch of tarmac road.
He detailed that in this financial year, the government has injected TARURA with a total of l858.517bn/- to support diverse projects for construction of new roads, but also, for the rehabilitation road infrastructures in different districts across the country.
"And out of the amount, 710.31bn/- is from internal sources and a total of 148.207bn/- has been accrued from foreign sources through different projects, including the Tanzanian Cities Transforming Infrastructure and Competitiveness (TACTIC), and the Tanzania Roads to Inclusion and Socio-economic opportunities (RISE) projects, among others," he informed.
He said the state-owned Agency was currently working to continuing making a sobber use of the resources that are available at the project’s sites vicinity in order to reduce construction cost.
" As of March, 2023, the Agency had already managed to construct a total of 163 stone-made bridges, worth 8.7bn/-, the development which served 50 percent of the involved cost," he communicated.
He unveiled the areas where the stone-made bridges has been constructed as Kigoma (92), Singida (24), Tabora (5), Kilimanjaro (10), Mbeya (2), Arusha (6), Morogoro (2), Rukwa (3), Pwani (1) , Ruvuma ( 3 ) and Iringa where at least 15 bridges have been constructed.
Together with that, and in further efforts to help reducing construction cost, he communicated that TARURA was continuing to conduct several technological trials with an eye to use the soil that available at the roads constructions sites, unveiling the technologies as Ecoroads, Ecozyme and GeoPolymer.
“So far, we have managed to construct a 1km road stretch in Dodoma Capital City through Ecoroads technology, whereby in Mufindi district, a total of 10km of road is expected to be constructed through the technology,” he expressed.
TARURA is vested with the responsibility of managing the development, rehabilitation, maintenance, axle load control, environmental and road reserve management of rural and urban roads network for the Socio - Economic development of Tanzania.
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