The President of Tanzania Hon. Dr. John Pombe Magufuli has set the foundation stone for the construction of the Sibiti river bridge which will link the Singida and Simiyu regions.
The 82 m long bridge will cost TZS 20.172 Billion (USD 8.8 million) and is paid for entirely by the Government of Tanzania, and is expected to be completed by March 2019, the Chief Executive Officer of the Tanzania Road Agency (TANROADS) Engineer Patrick Mfugale said.
Speaking during the foundation stone-laying, President Magufuli has expressed satisfaction with the construction of the bridge and has invited the Ministry of Construction, Transport, and Communications and TANROADS to closely supervise the contractor so that the bridge can be completed quickly.
The Sibiti bridge project was first started in 2012 when the Government of Tanzania (via TANROADS) signed a contract with Hainan International Ltd for its construction.
The project was expected to start in September 2012 and be completed in April 2014.
Singida is one of the poorest regions in Tanzania. Simiyu was created in March 2012 from part of Shinyanga region. Its per capita income of TZS 510,023 ranks it among the middle-income earners in the country.
