The refurbishment and expansion of the Kigali-Gatuna highway will cost more than the initially projected budget of Rwf32 billion but it will have a longer lifespan, it has emerged.Speaking to The New Times, the State Minister in charge of Transport, Dr Alex Nzahabwanimana, said an ongoing assessment will determine how much funds will be topped up.He said the new plan is for a 20-year lifetime, up from seven years contained in the earlier projections. The works will be financed by the European Commission, but the government will foot the additional budget arising from the ongoing adjustments, the minister said.The repairs of the country’s busiest highway by traffic volumes, which were expected to start this month, were postponed to next month, he said.Nzahabwanimana added that the new plan would include pedestrian walkways, which were not provided for in the first contract with the contractors Strabag International, a German firm.The highway which links the country to the port of Mombasa, Kenya through Uganda, stretches for 77.8 kilometres.It also serves Burundi and the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.The Kigali-Gatuna road project is part of the 600km of the country’s road network supposed to be rehabilitated over a period of seven years.Rehabilitation works will also get underway on the Ugandan section, from Gatuna-Mbarara, which covers 124 Km.The joint reconstruction project was commissioned by President Paul Kagame and his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni last December.The move is expected to help cut transport costs, among other benefits.Meanwhile, the government is still mobilising funds to construction the 130km Nyagatare road which traverses Gicumbi District and the 130km Ngoma-Nyanza road, which connects the Eastern and Southern provinces.“We are looking for money to construct several roads,” said Nzahabwanimana. According to the transport ministry officials, the construction of the 93km Kigali-Musanze and Rusizi-Ntenderi roads is almost complete.
