Govt avails 14bn/- for Rukwa roads

PETI SIYAME in Sumbawanga

THE government has allocated 13.8bn /- for rehabilitation of regional and trunk roads spanning to 905.93km and 79 bridges in Rukwa Region during the financial year 2017/18.

The Tanzania National Roads Agency (Tanroads) Rukwa Regional Manager, Engineer Msuka Mkina, said that 3.8bn/- will be spent for rehabilitating trunk roads covering 333.54km and 27 bridges. Equally, over 10.8bn/- would be spent on improving regional roads crossing 572.39km and 52 bridges.

Eng Mkina was brief ing members of the second Rukwa Regional Road Board (RRB) meeting under the chairmanship of Regional Commissioner (RC) Mr Zelothe Steven held here in the municipality.

He further said that Rukwa Region had a total of 1,210.60km road network supervised by the Ministry of Works through Tanroads, out of which 407.94km are regional roads while 802.66km are trunk roads.

According to Eng Mkina, huge sections of the road infrastructure in the region were in good and average condition while only 0.41 per cent were in pathetic state. He further said that 245.97km of trunk tarmac roads and 26 bridges would undergo maintenance at a cost of 2.5bn while 548.1km region roads and bridges would also undergo maintenance at a cost of 10.3bn-.

He named the ongoing ambitious road projects currently undertaken by three international contractors as Sumbawanga- NamanyereMpanda / Kizi-Kibaoni road (274 km), comprising the Sumbawanga– Kanazi section (75 km) at a cost of 78.8bn/-; Kanazi- Kizi- Kibaoni (76.6 km) at a cost of over 82.84bn/- and Sumbawanga-Matai- Kasanga Port section (112km) at a cost of 133.3bn/.

According to Eng Mkina, the construction works of the section of Sumbawanga – Chala –Kanazi undertaken by contractor, Jiangxi Geo – Engineering (Group) Corporation has reached 91 per cent since September 30, this year, and would be handed over by end of October this year .

“Rehabilitation of Kanazi – Kizi – Kibaoni section to tarmac level has been completed and handed over in August 2017.

Meanwhile, the Rukwa Regional Commissioner (RC), Mr Zelothe Steven cautioned residents in the area as well as in the region to be vigilant and ensure that the infrastructure including roads were not vandalised, because it costs huge amounts of taxpayers’ money.