Ethiopia's International Links and Sea Port Outlets
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Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Modjo-Hawassa Expressway Design-Build Road Project Updated ESIA Report Lot 2 Meki –Zeway Section Modjo-Hawassa Expressway Design-Build Road Project: SYNOPSIS Synopsis a Modjo-Hawassa Expressway Design-Build Road Project Updated ESIA Report Lot 2 Meki –Zeway Section A. General The Modjo-Hawassa expressway project is predominantly located in Oromia Regional National State (ORNS) and serves the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Regional State (SNNPRS) that is located just at the end of the project. The road generally traverses in a southward direction and it is a branch south from the Addis Ababa-Adama expressway. The project road will be a high speed, free flowing road that traverses through rural areas by- passing settlement areas and provides controlled access connections at reasonable distance to link the expressway with the existing road and urban centers. The Modjo-Hawassa expressway project will improve the connectivity of high-potential farming and tourism areas, while forming part of the Addis Ababa-Moyale-Nairobi-Mombasa Corridor, which is of strategic importance to diversify Ethiopia's international links and sea port outlets. In this regard, it is worth-recalling that the project road will link to the just started project Lamu Port South Sudan Ethiopia Transport Corridor (LAPSSET) that will make highly competitive the southern route to alternative ports, thus increasing the function of the Addis Ababa-Modjo- Hawassa expressway. The Addis Ababa-Modjo-Moyale Corridor, will serve as one of the gateway for the import/export of the country connecting the southern and central part of the country with Kenyan ports of Mombasa/Lamu, as a potential corridor alternative to Djibouti with enhanced road condition. The Lamu-Southern Sudan-Ethiopia Transport Corridor Project (LAPSSET), an initiative included by the Kenyan Government in the “Vision 2030” multi-annual plan makes the Moyale corridor very vital for the regional trade between the neighboring countries. The LAPSSET corridor will link the port of Lamu, north of Mombasa, to Ethiopia and Sudan through Isiolo, Turkana and Moyale. The first phase of the project has been launched on 2010, and the feasibility study for the construction of 3 berths and other infrastructures at the Lamu port has been recently finalized. The development of Moyale corridor, intersecting this important new traffic route, will therefore offer a tremendous opportunity for the development of the trade between Kenya and Ethiopia, accelerating the regional integration among the two Countries and also to possible transit traffic from the Kenyan ports. The Hawassa-Moyale and Moyale – Mombasa roads are being upgrade by the respective Government through finance received from the African Development Bank. Therefore, the construction of the Modjo-Hawassa expressway will facilitate the traffic movement and increase the capacity of the Moyale corridor. Figure 0-1 shows the major road corridors of Ethiopia connecting the country with ports. Synopsis b Modjo-Hawassa Expressway Design-Build Road Project Updated ESIA Report Lot 2 Meki –Zeway Section Figure 0-1: Ethiopia Road Corridors and connection with ports Synopsis c Modjo-Hawassa Expressway Design-Build Road Project Updated ESIA Report Lot 2 Meki –Zeway Section The Figure 0-2 depicts the northeast and south freight corridors of Ethiopia, namely: o the Djibouti Corridor: Djibouti port - Galafi border – Semera – Mille – Awash – Modjo – Addis Ababa for a total length of 920 km; o the Addis – Moyale Corridor: Addis Ababa – Modjo – Hawassa – Yabelo – Moyale, for a total length of 770 km; o the Kenyan Corridor to Mombasa: Moyale – Marsabit – Isiolo – Nairobi – Mombasa port, for a total length of 1,280 km. Figure 0-2: Ethiopian Freight Corridor Analyzing the Average Annual Daily Traffic along Modjo-Hawassa (Moyale corridor), the traffic projection shows by year 2018 an average AADT of 4044 vehicles between Modjo and Hawassa. The following Table 0-1 show the project traffic for the new expressway. Table 0-1: Projected Expressway Traffic AADT Zeway - Year Modjo - Zeway Shashemene - Shashemene Section Hawassa Section Section 2010* 3,612 3,541 4048 2018** 4,587 3,125 4,420 2027 11,271 7,674 11,153 2037 27,990 19,047 28,413 *traffic on the existing road **base traffic, when the expressway is open to traffic Synopsis d Modjo-Hawassa Expressway Design-Build Road Project Updated ESIA Report Lot 2 Meki –Zeway Section The overall Modjo-Hawassa expressway will have a length of 202.48 km from the proposed new Modjo interchange at Addis Ababa – Adama expressway which is located east of the existing Modjo Dry Port and traverses southward while the towns along the route are accessed at Koka, Alemtena, Zeway, Bulbula, Langano, Arsi Negele, Shashemene and Hawassa. The implementation of the project is formulated to be tendered in four lots. The first lot, Lot-1: Modjo-Meki (56.8km) will be financed by African Development Bank. The next lot, Lot-2: Meki- Zeway (36.896km) will be financed through a Loan from the Export-Import Bank of Korea from the resources of the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) of the Republic of Korea, Lot-3: Zeway – Arsi Negele (57.1km) will be financed by the World Bank while the last lot, Lot-4: Arsi Negele-Hawassa (51.68km) will be financed through Export Import Bank of China. The expressway project will have controlled access and grade-separated interchanges, with adequate link roads to connect the highway to the major urban centers, ordinary trunk roads network and other feeder roads. The location map of the Modjo-Hawassa road is appended herein below. Environmental and Social Impact Assessment has been undertaken for each lots. This synopsis describes briefly the project scopes for Lot 1, 2, 3 and 4. Description of the detailed ESIA for Lot-2 is appended following this section. B. Introduction The Modjo-Hawassa Road Project will be constructed on a green-field alignment to a 4 lane dual carriageway standard involving new construction of pavement layers and various other road components such as bridges, culverts, underpasses, over bridges and construction of ancillary works. To minimize the risks to pedestrians and animals from the high-speed traffic, fences will be provided along and edge of the road reserve: access to the road will be limited to vehicular traffic. The project therefore falls under Schedule I according to EPA environmental guideline; and hence requires full ESIA.. Environmental and Social impact assessment has been carried out for each Lot in line with Ethiopian legislation and financiers’ guidelines. The following sections present brief descriptions and features for all lots. Synopsis e Modjo-Hawassa Expressway Design-Build Road Project Updated ESIA Report Lot 2 Meki –Zeway Section Figure 0-3: Project location Synopsis f Modjo-Hawassa Expressway Design-Build Road Project Updated ESIA Report Lot 2 Meki –Zeway Section Lot 1: Modjo-Meki The proposed Lot 1 Modjo – Meki Road Project starts at Modjo town in Oromia National Regional State (ONRS); and the road is connected with the Adama-Addiss Ababa expressway and terminates before Meki town with a total length of 56.8 km. Taking into consideration the urban environment at the beginning of the Project Road in Modjo town in general, and the possible increase in vehicle emissions and traffic/road safety in particular, it is designed in such a way that: i. The expressway would commence on the east side of Modjo town avoiding the current built-up areas; and ii. Traffic safety and easy access is ascertained taking into consideration the traffic to Modjo Dry Port Therefore, by doing so, it is anticipated that: a) There would be no adverse impact on private or public infrastructures notably houses/buildings (socio-economic impact); b) The immediate adverse impact - due to vehicular emission- on the micro climate and the health of people along the road (if it traverses town section) would be decreased (environmental and health impact); and c) The potential rate of occurrence of traffic/road accidents would be reduced due to low level of interaction between vehicles and pedestrians (road safety enhancement). In addition, it would be possible that heavy trucks from the Dry Port would have easy and safe access to the Project Road in case of travelling to or towards Hawassa town. As stated above, the Project Road (new dual carriageway route section) falls in ONRS which includes the Modjo, Lome and Bora weredas of East Shewa Zone. The location map for Modjo-Meki section is shown in the Figure 0-4 below. Synopsis g Modjo-Hawassa Expressway Design-Build Road Project Updated ESIA Report Lot 2 Meki –Zeway Section Figure 0-4: Lot-1 project location The expressway, starting from Modjo, runs on the east side of the existing road for considerable stretch and crosses to the west side well before Koka town. The Project Road then crosses Awash River, upstream of Awash Bridge, and continues traversing on the same side for the remaining section of the Lot. Lot 2: Meki-Zeway The proposed Lot 2: Meki–Zeway Road Project starts before Meki town in Oromia National Regional State (ONRS) and terminates west Zeway town after crossing the old Zeway- Butajera road at km 92+896, with a total length of 36.896km. The location of the Project Road corridor is depicted in the Figure 0-5 below. The route shown on the map is part of the Modjo-Hawassa Road; and the proposed Lot lies entirely to the west side of the existing road (leaving Meki and Zeway to its east and connected to these towns with link road through grade-separated controlled access / intersection. Synopsis h Modjo-Hawassa Expressway Design-Build Road Project Updated ESIA Report Lot 2 Meki –Zeway Section Figure 0-5: Lot-2 project location LOT-3: Zeway-Arsi Negele LOT-3 starts west of Zeway town and the alignment traverses the west side of the existing road until it crosses the existing road just after Bulbula village to avoid interference with the Abijata Shala Lakes National Park (ASLNP) whose boundary lies entirely on the west side of the existing road.