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Ethiopia: ERA to Upgrade Gravel Roads with 9.5 Billion Birr

Ethiopian Roads Authority (ERA) is undertaking activities to upgrade 600 Kilometers of gravel roads to asphalt. The project is said to cost 9.5 Billion Birr.

Dereje Hailu, Communications Directorate Team Leader at the Authority, noted an upgrade work for six gravel roads is going to be done in Southern Nations Nationalities Peoples State (SNNP), Oromia State and Dire Dawa City Administration.

A 220 Kilometers gravel road that extends from Dire Dawa to Dewele is among the six road upgrade projects that will be improved to an asphalt road at the cost of 3.98 Billion Birr. This project is being financed by the Ethiopian government and loan secured from the Export-Import Bank of China. This project is awarded to the Chinese construction firm CGC overseas, Dereje explained.

In addition to this, he furthered, at an outlay of 2.2 Billion Birr, the Authority is going to upgrade the 160.8 kilometers Morocho - Dimtu-Bitena and Adaba - Angetu 100 kilometers roads in SNNP and Oromia States respectively.

The 107 Kilometers road linking the SNNP State with Oromia State, Konso - Yabelo, will also be upgraded at the cost of 1.19 Billion Birr by the Chinese firm TIESIJU Civil Engineering Group Co. Ltd, the Team Leader explained.

He added, new asphalt roads in SNNP State, Bitena – Maiokote – Zalaeyesus - Sodo, and in Oromia State, Ambo - Woliso, will also be constructed at an outlay of 2.15 Billion Birr. Bitena - Maiokote -Zalaeyesus – Sodois is going to stretch for 48.3 Kilometers while the road in Oromia State will be 63 Kilometers long.

The roads are scheduled to be completed in three years time, Dereje noted.

Source: Walta Information Center