KCC scrambles to beat road projects deadline

Kigali City Council (KCC) is working round the clock to meet the June, 2012 deadline for the ongoing road repairs and construction works.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Kigali City Council (KCC) is working round the clock to meet the June, 2012 deadline for the ongoing road repairs and construction works. More than halfway into the timeframe and with just five months to go, only 2km out of the planned 24km have been completed. The project was meant to end with this fiscal year and Kigali City officials are determined to beat the deadline.Bruno Rangira, the Director of Communication and Media at KCC, told The New Times that about 7km were in the final stages, 2km halfway complete, while 12 other kilometres are nearly 50 percent complete."Construction of 3 other kilometres is yet to start, but all roads that were planned for during this financial year will be completed as scheduled,” said Rangira. Among the roads that were identified for construction are Nyamirambo-Akumunigo; Rwampara-Gikondo; and Cercle Sportif-Nyamirambo. Others are Magerwa-Gatenga; Kacyiru Police Hospital-King Faisal hospital; Nyamirambo-Zone Belge; Gishushu-Urwego-Motor-vehicle Mechanical Centre (Remera); Gishushu-Inilak-Shell Petrol Station; Motor-vehicle Mechanical Centre-Gishanga–Goboka; and the Kwa Rwahama-Bibare road.Apart from Cercle Sportif-Nyamirambo road to be constructed by Horizon Construction, others will be constructed by NPD-Cotraco, both local companies.The roads are part of the 301.7km roads scheduled to be constructed in phases at a cost of about Rwf 45 billion.Over 46 km were constructed in the city during the last financial year. "There is another 25km that was supposed to be constructed; the government is negotiating with the Chinese government for funding,” Rangira added. The road network in Kigali covers about 1000km, but only less than 220km is tarmac.