The government plans to invest 459 million dollars (around 29.8 billion meticals) over the next ten years to improve mobility in the cities of Maputo and Matola and the towns of Marracuene, Matola-Rio and Boane.
The information was given this Thursday (12) by the councillor for Mobility, Transport and Traffic of the municipality of Maputo, Fernando Uache, at the seminar to publicise the Maputo Metropolitan Area Urban Transport System (SIMPUT) project, held by the Maputo City Council and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Of the total of 459 million dollars, 100 million dollars is earmarked for the construction of access roads to the railway stations, in parallel with the development of the railway infrastructure.
A further 158 million dollars will be invested in expanding and improving the road network, including the design of a new ring road, to the same standards as the existing Maputo Ring Road.
The projects also include the construction of access roads in the municipalities of Matola, Marracuene, Boane and Matola-Rio, which will require additional resources for the resettlement of families and developments located along their route.
‘The projects are complex and must therefore be carried out sequentially. According to the plan, the city of Matola will benefit from 16 new roads, while Marracuene and Boane will have four and three, respectively,’ said Fernando Uache.
In addition, an investment of 59 million dollars is planned to improve the link between Maputo and Marracuene, in an effort to ease road congestion.
The chairman of the Maputo City Council, Rasaque Manhique, emphasised the importance of a joint approach between the municipal authorities to solve the problem of transport and urban mobility.
‘The fact that we are meeting shows that we recognise the problem,’ said Manhique, stressing that the chaos in the transport system will only be resolved with better organisation and greater accessibility to public transport.
‘We need credible public transport, where citizens know that, at the appointed time, the bus will be available to take them to their destination,’ emphasised Rasaque Manhique.
Kazuki Otsuka, chief representative of JICA Mozambique, a partner in the implementation of the project, highlighted the co-operation to improve the transport system, following the revision of the 2014 Master Plan and the strengthening of bus management.
The chairman of the board of directors of the Maputo Metropolitan Transport Agency (AMT), António Matos, emphasised the need to update the SIMPUT document to respond to the current situation in the region.
