Skip to main content

East Africa’s massive new ring road project

Plans are being drawn up for a major new highway project in East Africa. Preparations are being made by the authorities in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. The 450km ring road route runs around the shoreline of Lake Victoria and will provide better transport connections for Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, as well as for other near neighbours, particularly Rwanda and Burundi. New border posts will be required, to help increase the flow of traffic between the nations. Although it will be complex, the project will boos
June 30, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
RSSPlans are being drawn up for a major new highway project in East Africa. Preparations are being made by the authorities in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. The 450km ring road route runs around the shoreline of Lake Victoria and will provide better transport connections for Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, as well as for other near neighbours, particularly Rwanda and Burundi. New border posts will be required, to help increase the flow of traffic between the nations. Although it will be complex, the project will boost transport connectivity around the lake area and develop trade and commerce between the three nations, as well as Rwanda and Burundi. It is expected to cost in the region of US$410 million to construct, but the economic benefits of the road to these five nations will vastly outweigh the building costs.

Feasibility studies are now being carried out with a view to providing the basis for a more detailed route, as well as assessing any potential environmental issues. Once the feasibility studies are complete design work can commence. Much of the funding for the project is expected to be sourced from the World Bank.

Kenya’s portion of the route would most likely run from Bumula in Busia County to Muhuru Bay in Migori County, according to the local authorities in Kenya’s Homa-Bay. The routes for the sections running through Uganda and Tanzania have yet to be revealed.

Related Content

  • Brazil: Phase 2 of PAC infrastructure programme shows results
    December 18, 2014
    Brazil has built nearly 5,200km of roads in the past four years, according to a review of the federal government's PAC Phase 2 accelerated economic growth programme. Around 1,400 of the 5,200km were built under long-term concessions and another 7,000km are under construction. Total investment has been around US$24.43 billion. PAC is a strategic investment programme that combines management initiatives and public works, according to the World Bank. The first phase, launched in 2007, saw around $349 bil
  • Senior ADB figure urges governments to act on sustainable transport
    September 27, 2013
    Multilateral development banks (MDB) are determined to do all they can to encourage governments of developing countries meet key sustainable transport targets, according to a senior figure at one of the world’s biggest MDB’s. Guy Woodford reports Tyrrell Duncan, Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) director of Transport and Communications Division, East Asia has been at the forefront of MDB efforts to enhance sustainable transport and road safety in developing countries. Speaking during a break in talks at the In
  • Indonesia’s new tolled highway projects
    September 29, 2016
    A series of major infrastructure projects are now moving forward in Indonesia, with financing sources having been identified for the work. Key projects include a tolled highway for East Java and a new tolled road and bridge link in East Kalimantan. Work on the 158km South Coast road project for East Java is moving forward with the securing of financing in the shape of a US$225.8 million loan from the Islamic Development Bank (IDB). A tolled highway link is being planned between Melawai in Balikpapan city
  • New US$200 million ring road to be built in Belarus capital Minsk
    May 23, 2014
    Minsk is to benefit from a new ring road that will cut city congestion - Eugene Gerden reports The government of Belarus is investing more than US$200 million in the building of a new ring road around the country’s capital Minsk, in accordance with a government decree. Implementation of the project is taking place as part of the existing large-scale state road building programme in the country until 2017, with the total cost estimated at US$5 billion. The new road will measure some 85km long and will feat