Tanroads unveils plan to ease congestion, boost connectivity in five cities

Dodoma. The Tanzania National Roads Agency (Tanroads) has announced an ambitious plan to address traffic congestion in five major cities and three towns through road expansion projects.
The cities set to benefit from the initiative include Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, Arusha, Dodoma, and Mbeya, alongside the towns of Moshi (Kilimanjaro), Iringa Municipality (Iringa), and Songea (Ruvuma).
Speaking on Monday, Tanroads director of Infrastructure Planning Ephatar Mlavi said the strategy includes key road projects and the expansion of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) network in Dar es Salaam. BRT expansion in Dar es Salaam Mlavi noted that Phase Two of the BRT project, covering 20.3 kilometres, is progressing well. 
The project extends from Mbagala to the Port Roundabout (Bendera Tatu), Bendera Tatu to Kariakoo, Sokoine to Zanaki, and Kawawa Road to Morogoro Road (Magomeni). Additionally, the 23.3-kilometre BRT corridor from the city centre to Gongo la Mboto has reached 74 percent completion, while Phase Four, which runs 30.1 kilometres from the city centre to Tegeta, is 22 percent complete.
The government has also completed the construction of flyovers in Dar es Salaam and plans to expand the Kimara-Gerezani road by adding an extra lane on both sides.
Mr Mlavi further revealed that Phase Five of the BRT expansion, which spans 25.4 kilometres from Ubungo to the port and Segerea to Tabata and Kigogo, is in the final procurement stage.

Dodoma road projects
In Dodoma, a 112-kilometre Outer Ring Road is under construction, with the first phase from Nala to Veyula, Mtumba, and Ihumwa Dry Port (52.3 km) now 91 percent complete. The second phase, stretching 62 kilometres from Ihumwa Dry Port to Matumbulu and back to Nala, is 85 percent complete. Other expansion projects in the capital include the 32 kilometres of the Morogoro-Dodoma highway leading to Chamwino; 4.5 kilometres of the Iringa-Dodoma highway towards Mkonze; and 8.5 kilometres of the Arusha-Dodoma highway towards Zamahero.

Upgrades in other cities
In Mwanza, the Mwanza-Usagara-JPM Bridge highway is being expanded to four lanes along a 37-kilometre stretch.
In Mbeya, Tanroads is upgrading the TANZAM highway between Uyole, Ifisi, and Songwe Airport from two lanes to four, covering 36 kilometres. By February 2025, the project had reached 22 percent completion. 
In Arusha and Kilimanjaro, designs for road expansions along the Tengeru-USA River section are ongoing. Construction also includes the Kwa Sadala bypass, the Kikafu Bridge, and the Kibosho Shine-Kiboroloni section. In Iringa Municipality, a contract for a bypass road has been signed, while in Songea (Ruvuma), the project is in the procurement stage. 

National road development progress

According to Mlavi, a total of 15,625.55 kilometres of roads are at different stages of implementation, with 1,365.87 kilometres already completed.

Meanwhile, the government Chief Spokesperson and Permanent Secretary in the ministry of Information, Culture, Arts and Sports, Mr Gerson Msigwa, said ministries and public institutions will provide detailed reports on infrastructure development.

“We are starting with institutions explaining their sectoral achievements, followed by ministers outlining what the government has done in the past four years,” he said.

He also urged institutions to adhere to the reporting schedule, warning that those failing to provide updates as planned would be required to explain their absence. (Related story on page 8)