Rusumo bridge gets Rwf15.8 billion boost

Construction of the new Rusumo Bridge and One Stop Border Post (OSBP) took a step forward after facilities worth $24 million (about Rwf15.8 billion) finally arrived from Japan on Friday. The project chief engineer, Hitoshi Kameda, said the facilities would speed up the construction of the bridge. “At least 20 trailers and 20 vehicles full of containers of bridge building materials arrived at Rusumo on Friday. By the end of this month more than 200 containers will have arrived in Rwanda from Japan and assembling will be done by the end of August,” he said. Eng. Honoré Munyanshongore, the acting director of Bridges Unit of Rwanda Transport Development Agency (RTDA), said the construction of Rusumo Bridge will be the best solution for the expected increase in traffic in the coming years. He added that the project would cover the construction of a new bridge, a 2-kilometre road connecting two customs, as well as equip both sites with the necessary tools and a suitable parking lot. “The project aims at facilitating safe and steady physical distribution based on smooth traffic flow... It will lift restrictions on passing vehicles and eliminate the traffic congestion caused by large vehicles at the border,” he said. Munyanshongore added that the modern bridge would eliminate traffic congestion and that it would improve the efficiency of cargo transportation. Construction activities of the Rusumo One-Stop Border bridging Rwanda and Tanzania will be completed by November 2014.