The newly upgraded Dire Dawa – Dewale, the 220 kilometers road network linking Ethiopia with Djibouti, has gone operational. The toll road is the second to Ethiopia next to the one linking Addis Ababa with Adama.
The upgrading of the previously gravel road into asphalt toll road has cost Ethiopia 5.2 billion birr, according to Samson Wondimu, Communications head of Ethiopian Roads Authority.
The road is part of the planed highway extending up to Addis Ababa from Djibouti’s Dewale. When the Adama – Awash – Mieso toll roads will be contructed, Addis Ababa will be directly coected with Djibouti by toll road.
The new road is expected to shorten the time trucks used to transport goods between the two countries. “The old gravel road used to take one day or more previously. But now we can reach Djibouti in three hours from Dire Dawa, “said one truck driver.
Currently 90% Ethiopia’s import export goods are being handled by Djibouti Port. Currently over 700 trucks are trasporting goods between the two coutries daily. The new road is expected to facilitate the logistics.