On 22nd July 2022, the Heads of State of the East African Community (EAC) officially launched the 42.4 km EAC Arusha Bypass that is part of the Arusha–Holili–Taveta–Voi Road (A23) road that links Northern Tanzania to the Kenyan port city of Mombasa on the Indian Ocean.
The Arusha Bypass consists of a 42.4 km long bitumen road that commences at Ngaramtoni, crosses the Dodoma Road at Kisongo, and ends at Usa River township.
The road is expected to relieve the busy Moshi-Arusha road and will facilitate the traffic from the Mombasa port wishing to join the Central Corridor at Singida.
Commenting on the launch of the new road, Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan underlined its importance for the country by strengthening the tourism sector and spurring economic growth and social development.
For his part, Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta said that the new road would help ease traffic congestion in Arusha and further help connect East Africa and ease the supply of agricultural products such as maize, tomatoes, and vegetables.
The Arusha-Holili Road
The Arusha–Holili–Taveta–Voi Road (A23) is a road in Tanzania and Kenya, connecting the towns of Arusha, Moshi, and Holili in Tanzania with Taveta and Voi in Kenya.
The Arusha-Holili road is one of the regional roads functioning as an international route connecting not only Kenya and Tanzania but also the land-linked countries such as Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda, thereby promoting economic development and the regional integration of East Africa.
The project will further increase the capacity of the traffic volume, improve road safety, and lower vehicle operating costs by improving the road.
The project will increase the capacity of the road by widening a total of 17.7 km (Tengeru-Usa River, Moshi town) and constructing a 560m length of New Kikafu Bridge and a by-pass road connecting to the bridge.
This will improve the road in terms of volume and loading. It will also improve traffic safety by enhancement of the vicinity of the existing Kikafu Bridge to the road.
The Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) are financing the road development as parallel finance.
