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The Ethiopian Roads Authority (ERA) is preparing for
the next Road Sector Development Programme (RSDP),
which could cost 40 billion Br.
The authority has asked all but Addis Abeba and
Harer to submit their requests for road
constructions in letters sent by Ziad Woldegabriel,
director of ERA, to all regional presidents.
An official at the authority told Fortune
that so far Tigray, Oromia and Somali regional
states have responded.
"We will prepare the general plan and discuss with
the government within the next four months," said
the official.
RSDP III had a budget
of 35.8 billion Br. The programme included
rehabilitating 483km of roads, maintenance of
4,816km, upgrading 3,428km, and the construction of
2,083km of trunk and link-roads. It also involved
the construction of 5,730km of roads in regional
states.
The fourth programme will focus on link-roads. One
such link road is the one from Enjibara to Jawi,
both in the Awi Zone of the Amhara Regional State.
One has to pass through a gravel road more than
200km across Gelgele Belese in the Benishangul Gumuz
Regional State. The programme will focus on
converting to asphalt such gravel link roads,
according to the official.
"This is what we want to construct," he said.
The authority is the biggest recipient in the
government's budget. This fiscal year has been
given 11 billion Br. A top government official says
that the authority will continue to be one of the
biggest recipients over the next five years. Then
the government will turn its attention to water
development, according to this official.
The official said that the cost of the fourth RSDP
could be higher because of the higher cost of
construction and its duration of five years,
compared to four for the third programme.
A
study conducted by WT Consult Plc indicates that the
construction cost of one kilometre of asphalt road
has increased from three million in 1996/97 to 5.65
million in 2007/08, gravel roads have gone up
from1.16 million to 4.29 million Br during the same
time.
The ERA plan for the fourth programme will be
presented to the Ministry of Works and Urban
Development for approval. It is scheduled to begin
in 2010/11. |
