Skip to main content

Ethiopia’s building roads

Ethiopia is set to benefit economically from investment in a number of new key road links totalling over US$1 billion. The east African nation’s 218km Modjo-Hassan highway is expected to cost US$720 million to construct. The highway will be constructed in two stages. The first section of the route will stretch 93km from Modjo to Zeway and is expected to cost $350 million to complete. The second section of the highway will be 125km long and link Zeway with Hewassa and this stretch is estimated to cost $370
November 29, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
Ethiopia is set to benefit economically from investment in a number of new key road links totalling over US$1 billion.

The east African nation’s 218km Modjo-Hassan highway is expected to cost US$720 million to construct. The highway will be constructed in two stages. The first section of the route will stretch 93km from Modjo to Zeway and is expected to cost $350 million to complete. The second section of the highway will be 125km long and link Zeway with Hewassa and this stretch is estimated to cost $370 million to build.

However, funding for the highway project has yet to be finalised. The Ethiopia Roads Authority (ERA) is looking to obtain a portion of the project’s funding from the China Exim Bank and the 2332 World Bank, as well as a $350 million tranche from the South Korean Government and the 1586 African Development Bank.

Two Chinese firms are building another new road connection. The 133km road will run from Mille to Kombolcha, through Bati. Shandong Highway is working on a 73km stretch of the route from Milla to Burka, while Zhongmei Engineering has the Deal for the 60km stretch of road from Burka to Kombolcha. The project is being carried out for the Ethiopian Government and is being handled by the Ethiopian Roads Authority (ERA). Indian firm International Consultants & Technocrats (ICT) has a US$1.38 million consultancy contract to oversee the project through a joint venture with local firm Civil Works Consulting Engineers.

A third key road link will benefit transport links in and around Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa. The city authorities are planning work on the road connecting the Inter-city bus terminal with the Lideta Church, and the road between St George Church and 18 Mazoria. The work was due to begin this month and will take a year to complete. The authorities say they will require a budget of some US$397 million to build up to 113km of roads with asphalt surfaces in the 2013/2014 period.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Highway work boost in North Africa
    August 21, 2012
    North Africa is seeing construction business return - Mike Woof reports After a troubled period, stability looks to be returning to North African nations, which can only be good for the road construction sector. First Tunisia, then Egypt and finally Libya saw tumultuous revolts against the previous autocratic (and in one case at least, despotic) rulers. All three nations are now benefiting from a return to stability, with economic growth also improving once more.
  • New Zimbabwe highway upgrade being planned
    August 24, 2016
    Plans are in hand for road widening work and surfacing upgrades for a key route crossing Zimbabwe. The highway upgrade is being carried out by a joint venture partnership between Chinese firm China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) and Austrian Company Geiger International. This follows agreements being reached between the joint venture partners and the Zimbabwe Government. The work is needed as the existing road links along the route are unable to cope with that current traffic volumes that include a high
  • Chinese loan to fund Kenya road project
    December 2, 2016
    A loan from the China Exim Bank will help pay for a new road project in Kenya. The loan is being offered to Kenya’s Government and is worth US$227.2 million, around 46% of the sum required for the whole 472km road project. The project is being handled in three phases, with this loan being sufficient for the first 192km stretch that will connect Kibwezi with Kitui, running through Mutomo. This first section will be constructed by Chinese contractor Sinohydro. The second stretch of the project will measure 16
  • Russian road projects for St Petersburg and Moscow
    May 16, 2018
    Contractor VAD now looks likely to carry out rebuilding work for the northern stretch of St Petersburg’s Ring Road. This section of the ring road runs between the Priozerskoye Highway and the Western High-Speed Diameter route. VAD’s bid for the 14.3km stretch has received approval from the tender commission. The work will cost just over US$100 million to be carried out and should be complete by November 2020.