New 319 Kilometer road which costed the Ethiopian government 1.9 Billion Birr and links Gojjam with Wollo was inaugurated on Saturday, November 15, 2014.

The road is said to shorten the trek from Gojjam to Port of Djibouti by going through Mille. The road shortens with nearly half the areas the former path use to cover, by avoiding the detour through Addis Ababa or Woldiya.

Originally the Gojjam – Wollo road was started as a gravel road to be completed in four years. Nevertheless, after noticing the traffic flow, redesign work was done and an asphalt concrete road which took seven years began to be constructed.

According to Ethiopian Roads Authority’s Communication Head, Samson Wondemu, another reason attributable to the delay in the project is weather fluctuation.

The Chinese contractor, CGC Overseas Construction Group (CGCOC), undertook the construction work of Komobolcha – Mekaneselam – Gindewoyne road. On the other hand consultancy of the project was taken care of by a joint venture between an Ethiopian firm, Li International Limited, and an Indian Company, LEA Associates South Asia.
Samson explained the main purpose of the road was to link Gojjam, known for its crop production, and Wollo which is designated for industrial zone.

The construction of the road was done in two phases. According to Fortune the first phase was from Kombolcha to Mekaneselam and it stretched for 189 Kilometers. The second phase extended from Mekaneselam to Gidewoyne making 139 Kilometers of the total 319 Kilometers.

According to the newspaper, the project road includes 260 high bridge located 270Km from Komolcha town, which is expected to serve for the coming 60 years. It furthered, the road has drainage pipes, bridges and other structural works.

The road links Addis Ababa – Mekelle with the Addis Ababa – Bahir Dar by cutting through Dejen and Mota.

Source: Fortune