Moshi — TANZANIA National Roads Agency (TANROADS) Kilimanjaro Regional office spent 5.955 bn/- part of the 6.3 bn/- that was requested in the previous financial year (2011 / 2012) for the maintenance of 64 bridges and the road network stretching 934.36 kilometres in the region.

TANROADS Regional Manager, Engineer Marwa Rubirya told the Regional Road Board session, under the chairmanship of the Regional Commissioner, Mr Leonidas Gama, that the road network lined up for maintenance includes two trunk roads stretching 137.74 kilometres and five were regional roads.

Engineer Rubirya said trunk roads targetted for routine maintenance covered 125.74 kms while regional roads stretched 81.83 kms, adding that roads earmarked for periodic maintenance - tarmac and spot improvement - gravel stretched 29.87 and 18.54 kms,respectively.

According to Eng. Rubirya, 23.3m/- was spent on strengthening bridges along trunk roads stretching 10 kms which was 40 % of the target while slightly over 1 bn/- was spent for major rehabilitation of bridges stretching 4.81 kilomentres along regional roads.

He said as at January this year,1.6 bn/- was set aside to rehabilitate roads that were damaged by heavy rains that pounded Mwanga and Same districts, adding that the rehabilitation work, which started in January this year, was at its last stages of completion.

He further disclosed that this financial year (2012 / 2013), TANROADS has requested for disbursement of shs 8.3 bn/- for roads maintenance, of which shs 6.3bn/- has been set aside for maintenance of regional roads while the remaining 1.9 bn/- will be spent for maintenance of trunk roads.

Eng Rubirya told the Road Board that 55.1 bn/- will be injected into twelve development projects, of which shs 26.3bn/- will be spent to construct tarmac roads which the government had pledged while shs 860.7m/- will be spent to construct a second weighbridge at Himo Junction.

The Regional TANROADS Manager mentioned the roads, as Kwa Sadala - Masama, Kibosho Shine - Kwa Raphael -International School, Rau Madukani - Uru Mawella - Njari and Kawawa - Nduaoni - Marangu roads.In another development, Eng Rubirya told the session that Himo Junction weighbridge operations report has indicated that a total of 136,176 trucks were weighed, of which 17,694 trucks were overloaded.

He said that 2,638 trucks were charged a total of shs 188.6 m/- for damaging roads and shs 2.4 m/- were other fees charged for by-passing the weighbridge and abnormal wide load permit.