The road connects Bishoftu with the Addis-Adama Modjo-Hawassa expressways
Aser Construction Plc has finalised the construction of the 52Km asphalt concrete road extending from Koka-Adulala-Bishoftu, with 711.1 million Br from the government coffer.
Situated in the Oromia Regional State, the road link the Adaa Liben and Lomi weredas. The road also connects Bishoftu with the Addis-Adama toll road and Modjo to the Hawassa Expressway. Other towns it passes through are Koka, Dire and Adulala.
The road, which cost the government 13.6 million Br a kilometre, still has not gotten a decision on its inauguration date.
“The road will help horticulture, agriculture, cereal and industrial products to be readily accessible in the market by providing access to transport,” said Samson Wondimu, communications director of the Ethiopian Road Authority (ERA). “Since the area is known for raw mineral material resources, the road will provide an ideal condition for cement factories in the towns he added.”
The route which includes bridges and drainage pipes is 10m wide in the town section and seven metres in the rural section.
Beginning three years ago, construction was carried out by Aser consulted by Net Consult Consulting Engineers & Architects Plc who also designed the road. The former won the right to carry out the construction on February 5, 2015, through an agreement to finalize within two years.
“The road has been giving service from the time of construction; there are bound to delays,” Samson told Fortune.
Founded in 2009, Aser is a local contractor engaged in construction works of road and building. Some of its engagements include Eastern Industry Zone concrete pavement works and the Bole Ring Road utility line construction. Currently, Aser owns concrete batching plants at Bole Bulbula that became operational three years ago.
Ethiopia’s road network has been increasing year after year. By the end of 2016, Ethiopia had 113,066Km of paved roads, which is close to 30pc of the required road network in the country. This is compared to the 13.7pc paved road network almost a decade ago. The nation hopes to boost this road coverage to 220,000Km by the end of the second edition of the Growth & Transportation Plan (GTP II).
It has been 15 years since the government has been engaged in an expanded construction plan, while there is an on-going Road Sector Development Programs (RSDP). Just this fiscal year, the government set aside 50 billion Br for road development.
“Such large investments in road developments may be hard on the nation’s economy in the short term, but there is no better way to attract investment in the long term,” Sewale Abate (PhD), a lecturer at Addis Abeba University’s (AAU) College of Business & Economics said. “The road sector though is highly susceptible to corruption, thus follow up on the use of resources and implementation is critical.”
The Authority founded almost seven decades ago as the Imperial Highway Authority and was re-established under its current name in 1978. Responsible for planning and formulating long and short-term plans and programs for road construction, design, maintenance of trunk and major link roads, as well as for administration of contracts.
Fortune’s repeated attempt to reach Michael Abrha, deputy general manager of Aser, by phone or text message bore no fruit.