The Arusha-Holili route is currently in the spotlight following yesterday’s vibrant launch of the Arusha Bypass.
The 110-kilometer highway’s development will be funded by Japan through its agency for international cooperation (Jica).
Makame Mbarawa, the minister of works and transportation, made this announcement in front of a gathering of regional leaders.
Prof. Mbarawa said that Jica has agreed to pay for the construction of the road to a dual carriageway without providing any information.
A new bridge across the Kikafu River will be erected as part of the massive civil works, replacing the one that is now there and was completed in the 1950s.
The 240-kilometer regional route that connects Arusha and Holili in Kenya to Voi in Kenya is now undergoing an estimated USD 400 million in upgrades.
Arusha Bypass, also known as the East Africa Road, was officially opened at Ngaramtoni on the outskirts of the city. Its length is 42.4 kilometres.
At precisely 12:15 p.m., President Samia Suluhu Hassan and President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya cut the ribbon to inaugurate the expressway. Presidents Hassan Sheikh Mahamud of Somalia, Evariste Ndayishimiye of Burundi, and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda were also in attendance.
Effective road networks, according to President Kenyatta, would increase economic activity and hence lower poverty rates. Prior to announcing the multi-billion dollar road project with President Hassan, he noted, “Basic infrastructure is vital to success.”
Tanzania is expected to gain the most from the infrastructural initiatives being carried out under the regional cooperation plan, according to President Hassan, considering its size. The ByPass is one of the East African Community’s initiatives, and it encircles the city on its western and southern edges (EAC).
The project, which included the construction of seven bridges, cost a total of Sh197 billion, according to Tanroads CEO Rogatus Mativila.
Tanzania is willing to conduct business with its neighbours, according to President Hassan, and the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), which is now under construction, serves as evidence of this.
She said, “The SGR will allow us to link with Burundi, Rwanda, and the DR Congo and facilitate commercial transit.”
She encouraged the people living close to the improved transportation infrastructure to make use of them by establishing commercial sites.
The President may have been informed, though, of how the hitherto desolate suburbs south of Arusha have undergone a significant shift as a result of the new road.
Along with more social services, the once dusty neighbourhood has rapidly expanded with the emergence of modern interiors, shopping malls, and entertainment venues.
The EAC heads of state met for the third time yesterday to officially begin the regional road construction.
