Karuma Bridge temporarily closed again

Gulu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Karuma Bridge, a vital link on the Gulu-Kampala highway, is temporarily closed to all traffic to facilitate the installation of expansion joints, the government has announced.

This three-week closure is part of a series of planned repairs that began in September last year after engineers discovered structural faults on the 61-year-old bridge deck, expansion joints, and bearings.

Karuma Bridge was reopened to traffic on December 20 last year after undergoing three months of rehabilitation work.  While the bridge deck and bearings were replaced, the government reopened the bridge without the expansion joints, a crucial structural component for the long-term stability and safety of the bridge.

Allan Ssempebwa, a Communications Officer at the Ministry of Works and Transport confirmed on Monday that the bridge will be closed to all traffic to enable installation of four expansion joints. The expansion joints shipped from China were delivered in the country in January this year, a month after the bridge had been temporarily reopened to traffic.

Ssempebwa assured road users plying the Gulu-Kampala highway that the contractor will expedite the installation of the expansion joints to enable traffic to resume early.

He noted that the installation works are expected to be completed within three weeks before motorists are allowed to resume using the bridge.

Ssempebwa said the rehabilitated bridge is still in good condition to be used by motorists but noted that the government is already considering the construction of an alternative bridge near the old bridge.

The proposed new suspended Karuma bridge will be funded by the Japanese government through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).  Already, JICA team have conducted an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment for the proposed new bridge which were released last year.

The government deferred the installation of the expansion joints twice this month to allow for completion of repairs works on the Masindi port ferries.

In the meantime, the government has advised motorists to use alternative routes as the contractor engages in the installation of the expansion joints.

The alternative routes for motorists from Kampala to Gulu/West Nile are via Luwero – Kafu – Masindi – Paraa (Murchison Falls National Park) – Pakwach or Gulu via Olwiyo (and vice versa). Meanwhile, motorists plying from Kampala to Lira can use the Iganga – Nakalama – Tirinyi – Pallisa – Kumi – Soroti – Lira routes (and vice versa).

Karuma bridge constructed in 1964 serves as an an important interior transit route for goods and services, as well as connecting East and Central African countries to the Port of Mombasa and South Sudan.

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