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Tanroads floats bids for Musoma-Arusha road

MUGINI JACOB in Musoma
Daily News; Sunday,January 25, 2009 @21:15

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The Tanzania National Roads Agency (TANROADS) has invited bids for consulting firms to design a section of Makutano Musoma-Mto wa Mbu road at the cost of 1.3bn/-."The government has shown interest to tarmac the road and it has allocated 1.3bn/- for designing the road this financial year", the Tanzania National Road Agency (TANROAD) Manager in Mara Region, Mr Emmanuel Korosso, said.

He was presenting the latest report on road development projects in Mara Region, before the Regional Road Board meeting. Mara Regional Commissioner, Mr Issa Machibya, chaired the session that was also attended by the Minister for Agriculture, Food Security and Co-operatives, Mr Stephen Wasira.

Part of the road covering 89.7 km from Makutano Juu in Musoma district to Natta in Serengeti district, was designed in 2006 by M Konsult Ltd. Another part of Natta-Mugumu- Loliondo has been designed by M/s Interconsult during the same period, according to Mr Korosso.

He also said that designing of Loliondo- Mto wa Mbu road, had been made by Crown Tech and finished in September 2007. Musoma-Mto wa Mbu road covers 542 kilometres. The meeting asked the government to allocate funds for the construction of the road next financial year (2009/2010), with some members saying that it would also link the lake zone with SADC countries.

According to Mr Wasira, upon its completion, the road would play a crucial role to promote tourism industry which is dormant in the region for decades. "I believe if the road will be constructed at tarmac level plus the construction of Serengeti airport, we will start benefiting from tourism sector", Mr Wasira who is also the MP for Bunda constituency in the lake zone region, told the meeting.

Most goods including food and building materials in Mara region come from Arusha Region, hence construction of road will facilitate smooth transportation of goods and passengers in the area. There are unconfirmed reports that the Serengeti National Park Authority (SENAPA) and Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCA), are planning to introduce weighbridges to control cargo and passenger vehicles plying between Mara and Northern regions, via their territories.

According to highly placed government source, only vehicles with less than five tonnes will be allowed to use the road. "This will affect supplies of goods to Mara region and the only solution is to speed up construction of Musoma-Mto wa Mbu road", a senior government official told this newspapers, shortly after the meeting. Serengeti district whose large part is made up of game protected areas, will be hardly hit by the introduction of weighbridges, according to the source.

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