The road segment that connects Comoros St. (British Embassy) with Africa Avenue (Bole Road) will see the installation of 19 traffic signals, an intelligent transport system and cameras.

The project is part of a 300 million dollar programme financed by the World Bank. To be implemented at both city and federal levels, the programme aims to improve licensing systems, develop urban transport policies, and fund road projects.

The Addis Abeba City Roads Authority is to hire a firm to contract the 4.5Km road corridor upgrading, which passes through Medhanialem Cathedral, crossing the roundabout near Golagul Building and Togo Street, across the main entrance of the British Embassy. A bid to select the contractor was opened in February 2022. However, according to individuals familiar with the tendering, the selection process is still ongoing.

The Authority has budgeted 24.5 million dollars for the construction of the road.

City officials are to select a supplier to install traffic signals equipped with infrared sensors that can determine traffic flow and guide changes accordingly. A control centre under construction by the China Communication Construction Company (CCCC) around Megenagna area will be in charge of the traffic signals. The Chinese contractor is erecting the control centre for 835 million Br. It will be equipped with information processing, crime control units, accident registration offices and media outlets, disclose Meti Wedeneh, a director of road construction and design.

Construction began three years ago and was expected to be completed last year, but the control centre remains under construction. Yet, officials plan to buy hardware and software for the traffic management centre. However, a tender the Authority floated last month was extended by a month. The extension comes following requests from companies interested in the bid, sources told Fortune.

The design for the Africa Avenue-Comoros St. road is one of five done by Dorsch Gruppe GRE, a German firm, for six million dollars. The firm was also awarded the contract to supervise the construction of the five projects. The design proposes four major intersections along the road.

City officials also plan to construct four other road corridors equipped with similar installations to ease growing traffic congestion in the capital, where 70pc of the country's registered 1.3 million vehicles are used. Close to 20,000 vehicles join the traffic flow each year, exacerbating congestion. Although Addis Abeba has close to 5,000Km asphalted, gravel and cobblestone roads, covering 24pc of the city's geography, the roads hardly stem the growing transportation demand, particularly along the city's main corridors.

The Addis Abeba City Traffic Management Agency has identified half of the 400 intersections have high traffic pressure. However, only 84 intersections are equipped with traffic signals.

“There needs to be an efficient traffic management system that corresponds with the city's needs,” said Kebebew Mideksa, director-general of the Agency.