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

  • Five Ethiopia road projects commencing
    June 10, 2016
    Work on five road projects will commence shortly in Ethiopia. The works are for a total of 347km of roads in all and the contracts were awarded by the Ethiopian Roads Authority (ERA) recently. Three of the projects are for building new roads while the other two involve upgrading and maintaining existing links. The work is worth a total of US$245.45 million, with all of the projects being handled by local contractors that are state-owned. Amhara Roads Works Enterprise will carry out work on the third pha
  • Ethiopian Roads Authority (ERA) picks Spanish, Chinese contactors
    January 5, 2015
    As part of a major 10-year $2.4 billion development plan, Ethiopia has looked for overseas road building expertise The Ethiopian Roads Authority (ERA) has contracted out two major road projects to Spanish and Chinese companies. China Hunan Hunda Road & Bridge Construction will build the 111.3km Merkote-Delbo junction-Alaba-Sodo road under a contract worth around US$50 million (€39.12 million). Completion is within two and a half years.
  • Key road projects underway in East Africa
    December 6, 2013
    A series of road improvements and investments will improve connections in Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia. The World Bank is offered the Ugandan Government a loan of US$400 million to rebuild roads in Kamdini and Tororo-Soroti-Lira. This funding will allow contractors to carry out road maintenance on the roads for 7-10 years, with work scheduled to start in 18 months. Meanwhile a deal worth $335.76 million has signed by the Tanzanian Government for the second phase of the Road Sector Support Project (RSSP-II
  • China firms win US$149.77mn Ethiopia road upgrade contract
    June 14, 2013
    The Ethiopian Roads Authority has awarded a contract worth at least US$149.77 million (ETB 2.8bn) for a road upgrade to two China-based firms, with works due to be wrapped up in 36 months. Under the deal, the two companies are to upgrade a 133km road between the districts of Mille and Kombolcha from gravel to asphalt-concrete roads. Money for the works is being sourced from a loan extended by the World Bank.