Editing Transport in Rwanda (section)

===Paved roads===
Most of the main towns in the country are now connected by paved road. The condition of these roads was until recently very poor, with numerous pot-holes and vehicles often driving on the dirt verges since these were deemed smoother than the road itself.  A recent government programme of upgrading and resurfacing means that most major routes are now in good condition.

The major urban arteries of [[Kigali]], as well as the high streets in [[Ruhengeri]], [[Kibuye, Rwanda|Kibuye]], and [[Gisenyi]] are dual carriageways, but all national long distance roads are single carriageway. There are no [[motorways]] in Rwanda.

The principal routes are (refer to map for number references):
{| class="wikitable"
! # !! Start !! End !! Via !! Description
|-
|align="center"|'''1'''
|[[Kigali]]
|[[Gatuna]] ([[Uganda]] border)
|[[Byumba]]
|The main road through the north of the country, this is the main route to [[Kabale]] and [[Kampala]] in [[Uganda]]
|-
|align="center"|'''2'''
|[[Kigali]]
|[[Kayonza]]
|[[Rwamagana]]
|Leads east from the capital. Resurfacing of this road was recently completed, and it features Rwanda's first proper [[Bypass (road)|bypass]] around the town of Rwamagana
|-
|align="center"|2a
|[[Kayonza]]
|[[Kagitumba]] ([[Uganda]] border)
|[[Nyagatare]]
|A continuation of road 2, running to the far northeast of the country. Prior to 1994, most of this road was within the [[Akagera National Park]], but the area has now been settled, largely by refugees who returned from Uganda after the war.
|-
|align="center"|2b
|[[Kayonza]]
|[[Rusumo, Rwanda|Rusumo]] ([[Tanzania]] border)
|[[Kibungo]]
|The main route into Tanzania, running down to the far southeast of the country. The border is a high bridge over the [[Kagera River]] (which is also part of the most distant headwater of the [[Nile]])
|-
|align="center"|'''3'''
|[[Kigali]]
|[[Fugi]] ([[Burundi]] border)
|[[Gitarama]], [[Butare]]
|The road linking the main two cities of Rwanda as well as being the main link to [[Bujumbura]], the largest city and former capital of [[Burundi]]. The section south of Gitarama was resurfaced in 2004.
|-
|align="center"|3a
|[[Gitarama]]
|[[Kibuye, Rwanda]]
|
|This road was surfaced for the first time by Chinese engineers within the last decade, running through very hilly terrain and crossing the Nile/[[Congo River|Congo]] watershed.
|-
|align="center"|3b
|[[Butare]]
|[[Cyangugu]] ([[Democratic Republic of the Congo|DRC]] border)
|[[Gikongoro]]
|A very stretch of road running through the heart of [[Nyungwe Forest]] and ending on the shores of [[Lake Kivu]]. It also links to the Congolese city of [[Bukavu]].
|-
|align="center"|'''4'''
|[[Kigali]]
|[[Gisenyi]] ([[Democratic Republic of the Congo|DRC]] border)
|[[Ruhengeri]]
|A road that passes first through the hilly areas around [[Mount Kabuye]] and then turns west to head along the southern edge of the [[Virunga Mountains|Virunga]] volcano chain, before ending up at Gisenyi, on the shores of Lake Kivu. The road continues into [[Goma]] in the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo|DRC]].
|-
|align="center"|4a
|[[Ruhengeri]]
|[[Cyanika]] ([[Uganda]] border)
|
|A road linking to Ruhengeri to [[Kisoro]] in Uganda. Passes very close to [[Mount Muhabura]] and has a vista right along the [[Virunga Mountains|Virunga]] chain.
|-
|align="center"|5
|[[Kigali]]
|[[Burundi]] border 
|[[Nyamata]]
|The road was paved a fairly recently since the government of Rwanda is considering building a new international airport near the town of Nyamata.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bugesera.gov.rw/index.php?id=846 |title=Investments |access-date=2012-09-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728060743/http://www.bugesera.gov.rw/index.php?id=846 |archive-date=2013-07-28 }}</ref>
|-
|}
There is also one road that is currently a quite poor-quality dirt road, but it may soon be upgraded to paved status:
* The road running along [[Lake Kivu]] between [[Cyangugu]], [[Kibuye, Rwanda|Kibuye]] and [[Gisenyi]], since these towns are now linked politically in by the newly formed [[Western Province, Rwanda|Western Province]].