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Tanzania Becomes EAC's Undisputed Top Infrastructure Hub


*After SGR, Port Expansion, another US$160m mega project in the offing
  
By Special Correspondent, Dar es Salaam

6 Dec 2018: TANZANIA is again on record to prove as the country of continuous 'firsts'. With relatively increased spending on development projects, Tanzania's transport infrastructure is undoubtedly the leading in the region.
Port expansion

President John Pombe Magufuli's commitment to fast track development continues to transform Tanzania's transport infrastructure to serve well its industrial sector. This goes beyond a mere fulfillment of election promises to intrinsic abilities to perform in office. Dar es Salaam is East Africa’s first city to implement a bus-rapid transit system.

Tanzania's neighbours have constantly been visiting the Dar es Salaam's Bus Rapid Transit (DART). 

Dar's first standard gauge
“DART is a great example of the progress being made in the East Africa region and the success of this system will hopefully inspire replication,” said Arturo Ardila-Gomez, Global Lead for Urban Mobility & Lead Transport Economist at the World Bank.
Dar's first flyover

Already, delegations from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Lusaka, Zambia; and Kampala, Uganda, have visited the Tanzanian capital to observe firsthand on how Dar es Salaam has brought bus-rapid transit to a congested big city.

“The quality of the infrastructure, like the pavement and the stations, was first class,” Jacob Byamukama, head of transport for the Kampala Capital City Authority.

China Civil Engineering and Construction Corporation has won a $160 million tender to construct DART's  phase II project. Construction of the 20.3km road would include two flyovers each covering 24m width and 150m length.

The project also includes 29 bus terminals, a control centre and a garage. The project is expected to start this month and will be completed in 36 months. The project is co financed by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Government of Tanzania.

AfDB agreed to extend $141 million for the project and the balance comes from the government.  With the growing population of Dar es Salaam, estimated to 5 million, the government began to draw up plans for a rapid transit system in 2003.

The government predicted the city population to grow to over 5 million by 2015 and invited the Japan International Cooperation Agency to design a master plan for transport in the city in June 2008.

A bus rapid transit and a metro transit system were proposed but the metro system was not approved due to the high construction and operational costs involved. The project was placed under the Prime Minister’s office and a Dar Rapid Transit Agency (DART) was created through a government notice on 25 May 2007.

A 130 km bus rapid transit was planned to cover over 90% of the city’s population and the project was split into six phases due to the large investment required. The initial project cost was financed by the World Bank and the bank provided $180 million for the construction of the first phase.

Las year in Santiago, Chile, Dar es Salaam was awarded a major transportation prize. The winner of this year’s Sustainable Transport Award is Tanzania. The award is given annually by the Institute for Transportation & Development Policy, a global non-profit advocacy organization and host of the conference. 

As the winning city, Dar es Salaam is also expected to host world transportation experts for next year’s Mobilize conference. Tanzania is also constructing the first electric standard gauge railway line (SGR) from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma (536km). This makes Tanzania, EAC’s most rapid growing infrastructure hub.

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