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Old bridge was built in 1959 and needs to be replaced
Pakwach, Uganda | IAN KATUSIIME | The Uganda National Roads Authority UNRA is planning to build a temporary bridge at Pakwach to replace the current one that has existed since 1959. The old bridge is cranky and is affected by the floating vegetation that keeps eating into the old structure thus endangering road users.
On a tour of the old bridge in Pakwach on Oct. 10, UNRA executive director Allen Kagina said that as soon as the designs are available, works will commence to build the temporary structure that will keep West Nile connected to the rest of the country. Kagina said the new bridge will be higher than the current one for safety and better transport.
Currently there is a dredger clearing away the floating vegetation but it needs back up due to the strength of the vegetation which floats all the way from Isimba dam in a distance spanning over 400km.
The temporary bridge will complement the repairs ongoing on at the Karuma bridge whose works have been on since the last few weeks. In total, UNRA will build two new bridges at Pakwach and Karuma meant to boost transport connectivity across the country.
Road Inspection
Elsewhere, UNRA boss Kagina inspected works on the rehabilitation of the 145km Busunju Kiboga Hoima Road. The project is divided into two lots i.e Busunju – Kiboga section (74Km) and Kiboga – Hoima section (71Km).
The contractor is Abubaker Technical Services & General Supplies Limited, a Ugandan firm, and the project commenced in May 2023 with completion of works slated for May 2026. The contract sum is Shs309bn of which 15% has already been advanced to the contractor. According to UNRA, the contractor has mobilized all personnel and over 90% of equipment. This is a project funded by the government of Uganda.
Busunju – Kiboga road is in the central region of Uganda, with major nodes in Busunju and Kiboga. Busunju is a town in Mityana District lying along Kampala–Hoima Road, approximately 59 km by road northwest of Kampala. Kiboga town is approximately 123 km by road from Kampala along Kampala – Hoima Road. The total length of road section under consideration is therefore 74 km.
The road section was being managed by Uganda National Roads Authority under Kampala
Station (Busunju-Lwamata) and Hoima station (Lwamata – Hoima).
In general, the road traverses a terrain that can be described as gentle with very few slightly hilly sections. The vegetation cover is mainly made up of shrubs and crops. The main economic activity within the area is farming mainly maize growing.
Kiboga – Hoima Road section (71.0Km) is located in the Western part of Uganda and connects the two districts of Kiboga and Hoima. The section starts in Kiboga a few kilometres after the junction at Masodde and continues westward and terminates in Hoima town.
