Tarura cuts road construction costs by 50 percent with new technology

Dar es Salaam. The Tanzania Rural and Urban Roads Agency (Tarura) has successfully reduced road construction costs by 50 per cent through the use of innovative technologies that utilise locally available materials.

An assessment conducted in 2022/23 revealed a significant funding gap between the required annual budget of Sh1.635 trillion and the average allocation of Sh850 billion.

To address this, Tarura has implemented technologies like ecoroads, ecozyme and geopolymer, which utilise raw materials from the construction site.

The Dodoma, Iringa, Pwani, and Simiyu regions are currently testing these technologies, and they have demonstrated great efficiency and reduced costs, enabling the execution of additional projects.

According to Tarura, using raw materials for the construction of road infrastructure—such as stones and soil found at work sites—has reduced costs by more than 50 per cent. So far, a total of 275 bridges and 22.5 kilometres of roads have been built using these locally sourced stones.

“The population is growing daily, so we must find a way to reduce construction costs to reach more people.

We are testing these technologies and believe that, in a few years, we will see costs further reduced,” said the agency’s chief executive officer, Mr Victor Seif.

Mr Seif made these remarks during a meeting between the agency and editors from various media houses, organised by the Office of the Treasury Registrar, to discuss the progress of various road projects that the use of raw materials available at work sites has cut costs by more than 50 percent.

So far, using ecoroads technology, a total of 39 kilometres have been built in the Chamwino, Mufindi, and Rufiji districts.

Meanwhile, with ecozyme technology in the Itilima district, 5.2 kilometres are under construction, and the contractor is continuing with the implementation.

The agency continues conducting various studies to determine the most effective technology for road construction, aiming to reduce costs and provide job opportunities for young people in the construction sector.

In another development, the agency has set a target to build 3,855.65 kilometres of tarmac roads, 102,358.14 kilometres of gravel roads, and 3,758 bridges from 2021 to 2026. Currently, 68.57 percent of the roads lack asphalt.

For his part, Dar es Salaam Metropolitan Development Project (DMDP) II coordinator Mr Nyariri Nanai said the projects are in the final stages of contractor procurement, and official construction is expected to begin once the procurement procedures are completed.