A6 road (Ethiopia)

A6 Road
Route information
Maintained by Ethiopia National Highways Authority
Major junctions
North end	Jimma
South end	Mizan Teferi
Location
Country	Ethiopia
Highway system
Transport in Ethiopia

The A6 Road is a national route in Ethiopia. Traversing a course in an east–west direction, the highway runs for 219 kilometers. The cities of Jimma and Mizan Teferi are thus connected by the route for the region. In Ethiopia's network of roads, A6 is a vital part which enables movement of individuals as well as commodities and services leading to advancement economically, through trade and social progress in the southwestern region.

Route

The trunk A6 road starts off as the A5 continuation in southwestern city of Jimma and follows a winding path through the highlands. Dense forests and varied elevation of between 1,800 and 1,200 meters characterize this region. Ultimately, it ends up at Mizan Teferi; a small town located about one hundred kilometers away from South Sudan’s international boundary. Importantly, B53 serves as the main road accessed from there and moves northwards to Metu instead of heading south towards the border.The routing configuration underscores the complexity and nuance of Ethiopia's road network, with various routes serving distinct regional and national connectivity needs.

History

It is suggested that the A6 trunk road was probably built for better road connection after World War II. In the past, under the Italian administration, the new road from Addis Ababa would end at Jimma. Later, it was renamed Route 7 and ran from Addis Ababa through Jimma and Mizan Teferi before reaching Metu. The road between Addis Ababa and Metu was renamed A5 in a new numbering system for roads that started around 2013. But A5 went another way westwards from Jimma; hence, the section of Route 7 running between Jimma and Mizan Teferi became A6 again. Notably, the A6 holds the distinction of being the lowest numbered trunk road that does not originate in Addis Ababa, reflecting its unique position within Ethiopia's road network hierarchy. This renumbering and reconfiguration underscore the evolution of Ethiopia's transportation infrastructure and the adaptation of its road network to meet changing connectivity needs.