Major works on Kigali roads to be completed next month

Construction works on Kigali’s roads will be completed next month and thus ease movement on the various road networks in the City of Kigali. Emmanuel Nyandwi, the City road development officer, said this during site visits at the weekend. The roads include Masaka-Kabuga road, Cercle sportif in Kiyovu to Gikondo, Kibagabaga-MTN road, UTEXRWA-Gisozi to Fawe Girls School, Primature-Cadillac area, Nyandungu- Masoro, Nyirinkwaya Hospital-RDB and Minagri –Nyarutarama road. The construction works were set in the 2014/15 financial year performance contracts of the City. The total length of the roads under construction is more than 15 kilometres, Nyandwi told journalists after the inspection. “We have achieved more than 80 per cent of what we pledged. The rest is to be completed by June to meet performance contracts deadline,” Nyandwi said. “We have devised measures to address challenges that would have delayed construction works; where, for instance, expropriation issues are solved earlier before works start. We have also been monitoring the activities, working closely with the contractors to ensure construction works are going well.” He said there is need to design cyclists’ pathways to ease movement on all the various roads. In its performance contract, the City of Kigali had also pledged to install security lights along 8-kilometre road stretch such as along the Cercle sportif in Kiyovu to Gikondo road. Installation of street lights along a kilometre stretch of road requires at least Rwf30 million. Nyandwi said the Masaka-Kabuga road (6.2 kilomtres), at Rwf8 billion, involved construction of cyclists’ way. He said other roads used by peddle cyclists would be constructed based on Masaka road model to ease traffic and avoid accidents. “Cyclist pathways are designed according to the terrain of the area,” he said. “We are considering that depending on the importance of the roads like those connecting the districts, and suburban roads. Previous studies could not consider that issue of cyclist ways the same way pedestrian ways were considered.” Louise Uwubuntu, who regularly rides a bicycle on Masaka-Kabuga road, said she always feels nervous competing for space with vehicles. “I do not feel secure. If there is a path for cyclists besides those for pedestrians, accidents could be avoided,” Uwubuntu said. Willy Iradukunda, a commercial peddle cyclist, said their own path would ease doing business. A couple of years ago, bicycles were prohibited on city roads after being blamed for causing accidents, but they are now allowed in some road networks in the city metropole. Nyandwi said the current road works is part of a wider project that involves expansion of some roads and some junctions to curb traffic jam. “Since the city anticipates traffic jams due to the increasing number of vehicles, we have been devising ways of solving the issue by expanding roads. We have already completed study to expand the Rwandex-Kicukiro Sonatube road where residents have already been expropriated,” he said. Suburban roads will take longer, about four years, since the project involves expropriation and construction of drainage systems, among others.

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Major works on Kigali roads to be completed next month