Ethiopian Roads Authority (ERA) is spending 5.5 billion Br to upgrade and construct 279Km roads in four regional states of the country.
The roads are located in Amhara, Oromia, Benishangul Gumuz and Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Regional states. Four companies, Sunshine Construction, Grampia Building Plc, Cross Land Construction Plc and Tsion Construction Plc are awarded the projects.
The local construction firm, Sunshine, is awarded to construct a 42Km road in the Amhara Regional State. Sunshine won the project, which extends from Debrebirhan to Ankober, for an offer of 25.7 million Br per kilometre.
There were two Chinese and 11 local companies including Teklebirhan Ambaye Construction, Aser Construction, Sur Construction and China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) that presented bids for the project. A month ago Sunshine won the bid for 18.8 million Br per kilometre to construct the 74.3Km alternative road to Limalimo in Amhara Regional State.
Another local firm, Cross Land Construction Plc had secured a contract to build a 69Km road in the southern region for 13.1 million Br a kilometre to build the Oblo-Dermi road section, the second phase of the Yabelo Metagefersa-Shakiso road project, which is contracted to Cross Land. CGCOG Group Co. Ltd and Sur Construction were the other two bidders.
The project will be a gravel pavement road , according to Samson Wondimu, communications director of ERA, which was re-established in 1978 and currently reviewing 28 road projects at various stages of the evaluations prior to being awarded.
The agreements for the two projects were signed early last week while the remaining two roads deal, worth 3.7 billion Br, are expected to be executed this week. The agreements were signed before the closing dates of the fiscal year that has seen the Authority’s highest ever budget of 45.8 billion Br.
The agreement for one of the roads is expected to be concluded this week in the Oromia Regional State. The project extends for 68.3Km between Eitiya to Seru and is to be constructed by Teklebirhan Ambaye Construction (TACON). A month ago, Afro-Tsion won a 60.8Km road project in the Oromia Regional state for the bid price of 13.8 million Br a kilometre.
A United Kingdom construction company, Grampia Building Plc., will upgrade a 100Km gravel road to an asphalt concrete in the Benshangul Gumuz region. The Company is contracted for the Yaso-Dibate road which is estimated to take three years to complete.
“In this fiscal year, over 50pc of the projects were awarded to local firms,” said Firew Bekele, engineering procurement officer and team leader in ERA.
A month ago the ERA, which has constructed and maintained 7,910Km roads during the past 10-month, awarded nine projects to four local and Chinese companies. The roads, a total 749km length will cost 13.3 billion Br.
Ethiopia’s road network has reached 120,171Km by the end of the 2016/17 fiscal year. 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).
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