Upon completion of the project in two year's time, the usual 45-minute plus trip from the Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) to the city centre would be cut down to 15 minutes.
Speaking at the project’s launching ceremony yesterday, President Magufuli said that the construction of the first flyover in the country is one of the many massive projects that are ongoing and about to take off that are aimed at decongesting the city of Dar es Salaam.
“Last year during the campaign trail, many didn’t believe me when I said that a flyover would be built here. As they say, a promise is a debt. Well, I am repaying that debt with the laying of this foundation stone,” he said.
Whilst thanking the government of Japan for the grant of 93.438bn/-, which he reminded the public was taxpayers’ money, he said that if more Tanzanians saw the importance of paying taxes and then there will be more development projects.
President Magufuli, highlighting more on the bigger picture of decongesting Dar es Salaam and investment in infrastructure, said that the government had set aside 1 trilion/- in this year’s budget where the construction of a railway of standard gauge from Dar es Salaam to the central corridor will start.“We want to see that by the time development partners come in for the project, construction will have already begun.
If the construction goes at least as far as Ruvu, we plan to build an establishment that will enable lorries to pick up cargo from Ruvu instead of coming into Dar es Salaam,” he pointed out. He spoke about plans to put CCTV cameras aboard the trains transporting the cargo to Ruvu from the port to facilitate their tracking until their final destination.
Other projects that are in the pipeline include a 6-kilometre flyover from Coco Beach, across the Indian Ocean to the Aga Khan Hospital in Upanga East and a two-storey interchange flyover funded by the World Bank.
Dr Magufuli echoed the sentiments of the Prime Minister, Mr Kassim Majaliwa, on the delay of the start of the Dar es Salaam Rapid Transit (DART) project that the delay was in the interest of the public after the government discovered ‘certain irregularities’ in fixing the fare.
“The government took a loan of 388bn/- from the World Bank for the project to benefit the public and not individuals. We smelled something fishy and have worked on it. There is no way that fare for the BRT can be higher than that of the ‘daladala’,’’ he quipped, promising that the project will start soon.
Tanzania National Roads Agency Chief Executive, Engineer Patrick Mfugale, said that the flyover, which will have four lanes, will reduce 80 per cent of the time spent to travel from the airport to the city centre.
Eng Mfugale said that the construction of the flyover is expected to take 35 months and will include the construction of a 425metrebridge. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Representative, Mr Toshio Nagase, said that traffic congestion in Dar es Salaam is recognised as a severe problem in Tanzania and that according to estimates of the National Bureau of Statistics, a total of 411.55bn/- was lost in the year 2013 alone due to the congestion. Mr Nagase said that as the first flyover in this country, the Tazara Flyover will become a long-lasting symbol in opening a new era of Tanzania-Japan partnership.
“It will contribute to a better life of the citizens of Dar es Salaam and for the economic growth of not only Tanzania but of neighbouring landlocked countries that are connected with Central Corridor and the Dar es Salaam Corridor,” he observed.
The contract for construction between TANROADS and Sumitomo Mitsui Construction Co. Ltd (the contractor) was signed on October 15, 2015 witnessed by Dr Magufuli; Minister for Works at that time.
The construction is expected to be completed in October, 2018. The government of Japan, through JICA, has more than a 35-year-history of supporting the improvement of transport infrastructure in Dar es Salaam, starting from the construction of Selander Bridge in 1980.
For instance, in 2008, JICA supported the formulation of Dar es Salaam Urban Transport Master Plan. Since then, tremendous efforts have been made by Tanzania to ease traffic congestion in the city, including the flyovers, BRT and major road widening projects.
