The Ethiopian Roads Authority awarded four road projects worth two billion Birr to three local construction companies and a Chinese contractor. The road projects are located in the regional states of Gambella, Benshangul Gumuz, Amhara and SNNPR and will cost an average of 14.8 million Br a kilometer.
The government allocated 46.4 billion Br in the 2016/17 fiscal year for the construction of 62 new roads and the rehabilitation of existing roads. Last year, the construction of the Melka Jebdu-Dire Dawa road came in at 63.5 million Br per kilometer, the highest per km price for a road in Ethiopia ever. In the current project, the Debremarkos asphalt road is the most expensive at 43.2 million Br a kilometre,
The Abebo road in Gambella is the biggest of all the awarded projects, and will cost close to a billion Br overall, even though it costs just 12.6 million Br per kilometer. China Railway Seventh Group Co. Ltd (CRSG), has won the bid to construct the road.
Established a decade ago, CRSG is a subsidiary of China Railway Group Ltd, and previously constructed the Modjo-Meki highway project at the cost of 3.66 billion birr. Civil Works Consulting Engineers will conduct the supervision and consultation work.
In the last fiscal year, five international contractors were involved in road construction projects.
In addition to improving the poor transportation facilities in the area, the road is expected to play a role in expediting agricultural investments, benefiting companies like Saudi Star Agro Industry Development Plc. The project is expected to be completed within three and a half years.
Senan Construction PLC has been awarded the project to upgrade the Assosa-Daletti-Baruda road, located in Benshangul Gumuz Regional State from gravel to asphalt. The road will be seven meters wide and 36 kilometres long, and will cost 6.3 million Birr per kilometre. Eng. Zewde Eskinder and Co. PLC will consult on the project.
Besides connecting different weredas of the region, it gives market access to the people living in the region. The region is known for producing agricultural products like sesame and maize. The road is expected to be completed within three years. This is the fourth project that Senan established in 2006, has worked on with the Ethiopian Roads Authority, including the Gore-Biri-Teppi road and Meqenajo-Dombi Dolo road.
The construction of the 773 million Br Say-Maji road project, located in SNNPR, was awarded to Yencomad Construction Plc, and is expected to be completed in three years. The road will be seven meters wide and 29 kilometers long. Dana and Associates Engineering Consultants Plc will consult on the project. Founded in 1994, Yencomad has executed more than 30 road projects.
The road will have greater importance for sugar factories that are being built in the region, along the Omo River. The road links the Addis Ababa-Arba Minch-Jinka-Hana road.
Debre Marqos, a 212 million Birr project about five kilometres long, will be upgraded from gravel to asphalt. The project was awarded to Diriba Defersha General Contractor.
“Although the road seems a bit expensive, it serves a town which requires higher costs for sewerage lines and side offs,” Driba Defersha, the CEO of the company told Fortune.
The road is expected to be completed within a year and half. Established in 1998, Diriba, the company, previously worked with Ethiopian Roads Authority on the Beltao Tolo sub-project of the Arba Minch-Sawla road.
Spending over 28 billion Br in the previous fiscal year, the Ethiopian Roads Authority has awarded 85 projects to fifty five local and five international contractors.
Currently, the road network extends to over 110,414 kilometers.
[addisfortune.net]