DAR ES SALAAM, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Thursday inaugurated a landmark Tanzanite bridge and 5.2 kilometers of approach roads to the bridge in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam.

       The 1.03-km bridge constructed under a 123 million U.S. dollars soft loan from the government of the Republic of Korea and 4.4 million U.S. dollars by the government of Tanzania was constructed by Korea GS Group with two sub-contractors from China.

       The Tanzania National Roads Agency (TANROADS) chief executive officer, Rogatus Mativila, named the Chinese sub-contractors as China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group Co. Ltd and China Railway Seventh Group.

       Speaking shortly before she had inaugurated the bridge along the Coco Beach coastline in Oysterbay stretching from the Aga Khan Hospital, President Hassan said the bridge is intended to ease traffic congestion for motorists in the capital.

       "Construction of the bridge is part of efforts by the government to ease congestion by improving the infrastructure," said the president.

       She said the new Tanzanite Bridge has changed the landscape of the commercial capital, adding that "we want to make Dar es Salaam an ultra-modern capital and a state-of-the art business hub."

       Makame Mbarawa, the Minister for Works, Transport and Communications, said preliminary studies have shown that between 17,726 vehicles and 19,764 vehicles pass through the new bridge on workdays.

       "Traffic congestion is a menace to motorists in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam," said Mbarawa, adding that the new bridge is also a tourist attraction as it is located along the Indian Ocean beach.