This' why Dar-Kibaha road construction has delayed

By Bakari Kiango

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Dar es Salaam. The government on Monday January 3, 2022, explained the delay in completing the construction of the eight-lane Dar es Salaam-Kibaha road project,

citing some adjustments in the project as the main factor for the delay.
The project involves upgrading a section of the Morogoro Road from two-to-eight lanes in efforts to reduce traffic congestion between Kimara in Dar es Salaam and Kibaha in the Coast region.
The Deputy Minister for Works and Transport, Mr Godfrey Kasekenya - who made an inspection tour of the project yesterday - said the government has pumped in an extra Sh56 billion for the improvement of the 19.2km stretch.
The move will see to the construction of a flyover at the Mbezi-Goba junction, a bridge at Kwa Yusufu (Mbezi), and feeder roads at the Magufuli Bus Terminal. on the outskirts of Dar es Salaam City. The construction was earlier scheduled for completion in October last year but will now be competed in June this year.
Mr Kasekenya revealed that some challenges were observed after completion of the first-phase of the project which prompted the government to add extra Sh56bn to the project.
He said the first-phase of Kimara-Kibaha road had been completed by 99 percent, when the government saw the need to have a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project alongside the main project from Kimara to Kibaha which is currently being improved.
“We saw the need to construct feeder roads, a bridge at Mbezi Kwa Yusufu and a flyover at Goba-Mbezi to ease traffic plying the Goba-Segerea route,” he said.
The government of President Samia Suluhu Hassan also saw the need to improve the roads at the Magufuli International Bus Terminal at Mbezi Luis following huge traffic - and also construct a bus stand at the junction of Mloganzila Hospital in the area. He stressed the need to ensure that the construction meets the required standards so that various road projects currently under construction can show value for money.
Tanzania National Roads Agency’s Dar es Salaam regional manager, Harun Senkuku, said that the government has already set aside Sh59.5 billion in the 2021/22 financial year for Dar es Salaam Region. Sh27.4 billion of that will be for road maintenance and Sh32.7 billion as development fund.
Construction of the 19.2Km road from Kimara Kibaha started in 2018, and was expected to be completed in October last year.