All set for Gerezani Bridge project to start as contract is signed
Construction of Gerezani Bridge, which is yet another step towards curbing traffic congestion in the city centre, may start anytime soon after the signing of a contract yesterday for implementation of the project.
Tanzania National Roads Agency (TANROADS) and the Sumitomo Mitsui Construction Company (SMCC) inked the agreement in Dar es Salaam as Minister for Works, Transport and Communication, Eng Isack Kamwelwe, bore witness.
“The President has continued building Dar es Salaam because it’s a commercial city,” Eng Kamwelwe remarked.
The minister said the implementation of various projects had earned the President trust from donors as well as citizens.
As donors now see the funds they give to the country are spent on intended purposes, the citizens also have trust that the taxes they pay finance development projects.
The 22-billion shilling bridge can accommodate a new service route of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), and Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) passing under it.
Sketching the technical aspects of the bridge, the Director of the TANROADS, Eng Patrick Mfugale, said the bridge was part of many strategic projects focused on reducing traffic congestion in Dar es Salaam.
The six-lane bridge will have a length of 40 metres and width of 30 metres, and the project is funded by the Government of Japan through Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The process for the bridge’s construction started a way back in 2010 when the design and feasibility study was carried out, with financial support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Mr Toshio Nagase, Chief Representative of JICA in Tanzania, stated that he was delighted because the project marked the fulfillment of one of the promises which were made by the President of JICA, Mr Shinichi Kitaoka, when he visited Tanzania in 2017.
“I have no doubt on the capability of the contractor, SMCC. I am sure that they will construct this project based on high quality Japanese standards,” he said.
The SMCC is a Japanese contractor which successfully completed the first flyover project in the country (Mfugale Flyover) in September year.
Infrastructures Development Parliamentary Committee Chairman Selemani Kakoso asked wananchi to protect the infrastructures on which the government spent a lot of money to construct.
“The government should take legal measures against those who damage these infrastructures,” he appealed.
On other hand, Mr Kakoso advised the government to engage local contractors in the construction of such infrastructures, to enable them learn from foreign contractors and build their capacity.