No demolitions in expansion of Ubungo-Kimara road, says Tanroads

Dar es Salaam. The ongoing expansion of the Ubungo to Kimara-Mwisho section of the Morogoro Road in Dar es Salaam will not involve any destruction/demolition to/of people’s properties, the Tanzania National Roads Agency (Tanroads) has said.

Construction of the section is part of the expansion of the entire road that links the Coast Region to Dar es Salaam by turning it into an eight-lane highway (including two for the Bus Rapid Transit – BRT).

Actual construction of a section of the road started a few years ago when a number of buildings and other structures, including medical facilities, church buildings and mosques, were demolished between Kimara Mwisho in Dar es Salaam and Kibaha in Coast Region.

But in a rather positive development, the Tanroads chief executive officer Mr Mohamed Besta, said yesterday that no demolition will be conducted as the expansion enters another phase.

An observation from Kimara-Mwisho to Ubungo has shown that actual expansion of the road was already in progress, with such activities as clearing the area alongside the main road, which involves cutting down trees and excavating certain areas.

Actual expansion started almost three weeks.

“No demolition will be done as such an exercise was already conducted previously,” said Mr Besta.

The project is implemented under the Dar es Salaam Urban Transport Improvement (DUTP).

The government, through Tanroads, signed a contract for the expansion of the road with Sichuan Road and Bridge Group Corporation Ltd in November, 2023.

The work is expected to be completed in May 2025.

“The physical work progress so far done is at two (2) percent and the project is funded by the International Development Association (World Bank) with a cost of Sh83.8 billion,” Mr Besta said.

He said the advance payment was paid in full since December last year amounting to Sh12.2 billion.

Among the ongoing activities include the on-site settling out which is done by 100 percent.

“There is also the clearing and grubbing preparation of roadbed, embankment construction on fill sections, constructions of retaining walls, identifications of abstractions,” he said.

Either side of the road has enough space for the expansion exercise to be conducted swiftly and effectively.

With the rising number of vehicles plying the road, Tanroads believes there was an urgent need for expansion.

Some residents who spoke to us yesterday said it was encouraging that the exercise will go without demolitions.

“I heard about the expansion of this road a long time ago, and it was funded by the World Bank. This year, they decided to proceed, and we were told that there would be no demolition of our houses. This is good indeed,” said Atanasi Mkenda, a resident of Kimara-Mwisho.

A frequent user of the road Ms Sarah Ombeni, said that the morning and evening queues have become a significant challenge, causing drivers to spend extended periods on the road due to its narrowness.

She noted that as Dar es Salaam grows, the population also increases; the road is the main gateway to Tanzania, leading to a high volume of cars, trucks, and three-wheeled motorcycles added that the expansion is timely.

“In the last three years, only a few Bajajs were operating on the road, but their number has increased, contributing to the congestion. I thank the government for its decision because it will facilitate transportation from Kimara-Mwisho to Kibaha,” she said.

A Bajaj driver, Mr Nasri Abdalah, said that the road is busy all the time, especially in the morning and evening, with many cars. Upgrading the road is essential, but the most important thing is that people’s houses will not be demolished.