A consortium of three companies sealed a 126.9-million-Br deal to develop a comprehensive transport and traffic management plan for Merkato.

Two German companies and one local firm initiated the study to design and implement the traffic plan last month under a contract awarded by the Addis Abeba City Roads Authority. The project, which aims to alleviate traffic congestion and enhance the safety of pedestrians, is financed by the World Bank Group.

Gauff Ingenieure and PB Consult, which have been engaged in road infrastructure design and construction for more than two decades, are the two German companies involved in the project. Alert Engineering Plc, a seven-year-old consulting firm that works on road and bridge construction, as well as transport and traffic management activities in the capital, is the local partner.

The three companies will engage in concept development, detailed engineering design work and prepare a tender document for the implementation of the project in the coming eight months. The companies will also supervise the project during two years of implementation.

The project covers 1.1-square-kilometre area and encompasses the area between Fitawrari Habte Giorgis Street in the north, Central African Republic Street and Dejazmach Mekonen Demisew Street in the west, Uganda Street in the south and Tesema Aba Kemaw Street in the east, following the Addis Light Rail route.

The project is set to improve pedestrian and vehicular mobility and expand parking provision and public transport, according to Moges Tibebu, director general of the Addis Abeba City Roads Authority, owner of the project.

Walking is the main mode of mobility in the capital and accounts for an estimated 70pc of trips, followed by public transport at 26pc and private motorised transport at four percent.

Even though the proportion of pedestrian deaths has dropped from 82pc to 76pc in the past year, pedestrians still make up the overwhelming majority of fatalities, according to the 2018 report by Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety.