The Ethiopian Roads Authority (ERA) has signed US $489.2 m agreement for the construction of 9 road projects totalling to 749 km across the country.
Speaking during the contract signing ceremony, ERA Director General Araya Girmay said that the cost for the construction of the 9 projects will be covered by the government. Once completed, the projects will contribute a lot in creating employment opportunity, as well as boosting the economy growth and improve people’s livelihood.
Over the last three years about 7,910 km asphalt roads have been constructed. This accounts to 2,700 km of roads every year.So far the authority has been undertaking the construction of several road projects to meet the set target plan in the Second Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP-II) period that focused on ensuring the accessibility of road infrastructure in the country.
More projects
Since the launch of GTP-II, construction of 89 road projects have been completed, whereas the progress of 215 road projects, which cover 15,771.9 km in all parts of the country, are still under construction. Moreover, the construction of 107 projects with a total length of 6,048 km have already been stared including the current signed projects.
Also read: Ethiopia to double number of roads network by 2020
According to the Authority Director, the authority is currently conducting feasibility study for the construction and maintenance of over 180 road projects.
The Authority calls for all contractors, who signed the agreements, to finalize their projects timely and in good quality. Meanwhile, the construction companies have assured that they will work responsibly based on the agreements they made with the authority.
