GEITA: THE Tanzania National Roads Agency (TANROADS) in Geita Region has completed construction of a key section of the Wendele–Mlele trunk road linking Tanzania and Rwanda, by building nine culverts and raising the road embankment in the flood-prone areas of Kanegere and Lubeho that were damaged by the 2023–2024 El Niño rains.
Speaking about the project, the Resident Engineer, Kaluge Masele, said the works were carried out in line with professional standards and quality requirements, covering a total of 2.9 kilometres — 1.5 km at Kanegere and 1.4 km at Lubeho.
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Additionally, he said that seven large culverts were constructed at Kanegere, while two were built at Lubeho.
Elaborating on the project, he said that some of the culverts have three-cell openings and another has two-cell openings, a measure taken to address the challenge of water flowing over the road and causing major disruptions to road users who were previously forced to wait for water levels to subside.
The engineers noted that the project has now reached 99 per cent completion, with the remaining works involving the installation of road safety signs and the strengthening of the embankments using special stones to prevent soil erosion.
“The ongoing work involves completing the installation of safety signs and reinforcing the road shoulders with stones up to the culverts to protect the infrastructure against heavy rains,” he said.
Completion of the project is expected to improve cargo transportation between Tanzania and Rwanda, particularly for heavy-duty trucks using the route as part of the regional trade network.