Road Networking of the city of Dar es Salaam

THE Upgrading of Kilwa Road project in Dar es Salaam city whose construction works started in early 2007 has brought some major economic changes along the road as commuters can now travel with less expectation of experiencing traffic jam on the way. The project involved the widening of the existing 12 Kms two lanes single carriageway road between Bendera Tatu and Mbagala Rangi Tatu to a four lane dual carriageway bitumen road with a provision for pedestrian walkways on each side. The road had been designed to have a provision for the Bus Rapid Transit project which will be implemented by the Dar es Salaam city council in earnest, says a road expert with Tanzania Roads Agency (TANROADS) Engineer James Nyakabari of TANROADS.
Tanzania Roads Agency (TANROADS) which has been charged with the responsibility for its upgrading on behalf of the Ministry of Infrastructure Development in the country, has determined to provide a solution to the unbearable traffic congestion problem which had been facing the area.

A stretch of 12 km single lane carriageway of the Kilwa Road which was recently rehabilitated in the city of Dar es Salaam

The road which was being upgraded by a Japanese construction firm, M/S Kajima Corporation Limited, is part of the main urban ring roads in the city of Dar es Salaam that links with the southern Tanzanian regions. The road serves traffic destined to and from various centers such as Kariakoo, Temeke district and the main city center. Based on this high traffic volume and the poor condition of the road, congestion especially at peak hours in the morning and evenings necessitated the expansion and upgrading of the road.
In 2003, the government decided to widen the road due to the increase in traffic. Initially the plan was to start with the construction of the two kilometers stretch between the Nelson Mandela road junction at the Tanzania Institute of Accountancy and Mtoni Kwa Azizi Ally. The detailed design for the two kilometers was carried out and tenders for works were invited in October 2004. While evaluation of the tenders was in progress, the government of Japan offered to finance the widening of the whole road from Bendera Tatu to Mbagala Rangi Tatu including its design and supervision in response to a request which had earlier been made by the government of Tanzania.

Despite of the upgrading of Kilwa Road into a dual carriageway, still there is a transport problem facing commuters along the route and this is due to the shortage of commuter buses plying between Kariakoo and Mbagala kuu. Before its rehabilitation, Kilwa Road was the most notorious routes with heavy traffic jam coming and going out of the city of Dar es Salaam during peak hours.)

The detailed design for the whole road was carried out by construction project consultant Inc (CPC) of Japan and completed in October 2006. Tenders for construction were invited in November 2006 and the evaluation of the tenders was carried out in December 2006. Three Japanese firms namely Daio Nippon Construction, Kajima Corporation and Konoike construction participated. Following the evaluation of the tenders, Kajima Corporation Ltd, emerged the winner and a contract was signed in Japan between TANROPADS on behalf of the government of Tanzania and M/S Kajima corporation for a contract price of Tshs. 10.3 billion. TANROADS was represented by its Chief Executive Officer. The contract period inclusive of mobilization periods is one year with effect from March 2007. The contract covers the first 5 kilometers from Bendera Tatu. The next 7 kilometers followed after the proposed exchange of notes between the governments of Tanzania and Japan during this year’s 2008/09 financial year. The design and the composition used in construction of road is a mixed up of the normal materials used for road construction. These components are the gravel, course aggregates and fine aggregates which are mixed up with cement.