Arusha Clock Tower Roundabout, Located Between Cape Town and Cairo, is now placed under the Ministry of Tourism
Africa’s most famous and historical traffic intersection point, the Clock Tower Roundabout of Arusha has just been placed under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism.
The traffic circle located at the intersection of Boma, Fire, Nyerere and Uhuru (Sokoine) roads in Arusha City is regarded to be the center point between Cape Town and Cairo along the Great North trackway.
This follows the decision by the Arusha Regional Commissioner’s office to place all the city’s circular road intersections to the Ministry of Natural Resources so that the facilities can be further used to promote the country’s travel industry.
Ephraim Mafuru, the Director General of the Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB) hatched an official agreement to that effect, with the Arusha Regional Commissioner, Paul Makonda in the city.
Arusha has a total of six main roundabout junctions in the city, including the historical Clock Tower intersection, which has been rehabilitated to include wildlife statues, in addition to the main feature of the pylon mast featuring a working clock.
The clock tower also features a compass milepost indicating the distance and direction from Arusha to all major towns and cities on the African continent.
The tower with a clock is a beacon of the city, perched between the oldest hotel in East Africa and the main post office.
The second roundabout junction is located at the intersection of Makongoro, Goliondoi and the East African Boulevard, which is being taken care of by the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
Located adjacent to Ngorongoro Building next to the District Commissioner’s office, the circular junction features a giant elephant statue and installed with a giant outdoor screen streaming live wildlife footage from the crater located nearly 200 kilometers away.
There is also the Mwenge Roundabout with a towering torch statue which is located in Kaloleni area, which is located adjacent to the Kaloleni Hospital, the Arusha Azimio (Declaration) Museum, the Saint James Anglican Parish and the Bondeni Friday Mosque.
Arusha’s fourth and largest roundabout is located adjacent to the former Impala Hotel in Kijenge and Nyerere gardens, interconnecting Simeon and Njiro roads as well as Mandela road.
The almost neglected and badly kept roundabout is found along the road leading from Friends Corner to Unga-Limited adjacent to the National Milling Corporation (NMC) at the busy, Samunge market area.
The sixth roundabout is located at the intersection of the new Arusha by-pass road where it cuts across the main Dodoma Road at Magereza area near the Arusha Domestic Airport. It is the newest such intersection in the outskirts of the city.