Tanzania is turning to modern technology to address one of the key factors behind the early deterioration of roads and other infrastructure the condition of the ground beneath them.
The Tanzania Rural and Urban Roads Agency (TARURA) is using advanced equipment to examine soil and rock before construction begins.
The aim is simple: build infrastructure that is safer, stronger and able to serve communities for longer.
The technology allows engineers to understand what lies beneath a project site. This helps them choose suitable foundations, construction methods and materials.
Speaking during a media tour of TARURA laboratories in Dodoma, the Acting Head of the Research and Quality Control Unit, Engineer Vincent Lwanda, said soil testing was essential to the success of infrastructure projects.
He said TARURA tests soil and construction materials before and during projects. The results help engineers make decisions based on actual conditions on the ground.
TARURA has invested more than Sh2 billion in a specialised drilling rig for collecting soil and rock samples from deep underground.
The equipment can collect samples from depths of between 200 and 300 metres.
The information is used to assess the ability of the ground to support heavy structures. This is particularly important when constructing bridges, roads and other major infrastructure.
For citizens, the technology could mean fewer cases of roads deteriorating soon after construction.
Poor knowledge of ground conditions can lead to wrong construction decisions. That can increase maintenance costs and shorten the life of infrastructure.
Mr Lwanda said TARURA’s laboratories had helped improve the quality of roads by strengthening testing and quality control.
He also said the laboratories were open to members of the public, contractors and institutions that wanted to test construction materials.
“This is not only for roads. We welcome members of the public undertaking construction to bring their materials for quality testing,” he said.
TARURA has a main laboratory in Dodoma and 16 other laboratories across the country.
Contractors working on TARURA projects are required to use the laboratories at different stages of construction. Test results are also used in assessing the quality of completed work before payments are made.
This approach gives the agency a stronger way to monitor contractors and protect public funds.
The laboratories are also playing a role beyond construction.
They are being used to provide practical training for engineering students from universities and other institutions.
Engineer Emmanuel Kilasi, an engineer in TARURA’s Research and Quality Control Unit, said the new drilling rig had improved the agency’s ability to investigate ground conditions.
He said accurate information about the soil helps engineers select construction methods that suit each location.
This is increasingly important as Tanzania invests heavily in roads, bridges and other infrastructure.
Climate change also makes the issue more urgent. Stronger infrastructure is needed to withstand extreme weather and changing environmental conditions.
For engineering students, the laboratories offer a bridge between classroom learning and real work.
Vivian Mwakabaja, a second-year student at Mbeya University of Science and Technology (MUST), said her training at TARURA had helped her understand how soil is tested in practice.
She said the experience had strengthened her understanding of soil quality and its ability to carry loads.
TARURA’s investment therefore goes beyond buying modern equipment.
It is also about improving how infrastructure is planned, built and maintained.
For taxpayers, better testing can help ensure that money spent on roads and bridges produces infrastructure that lasts longer and delivers greater value to communities.
