Karuma bridge has been reopened to light traffic following over three months of rehabilitation.
The Uganda National Roads Authority (Unra) closed the bridge in September after engineers identified significant faults in its deck, expansion joints, and bearings.
At 7 am on Friday, December 20, the bridge reopened, with the first passenger bus from Gulu to Kampala crossing over. The ceremony was officiated by the state minister for Works and Transport, Musa Ecweru, and was met with celebrations from jubilant residents of Karuma, including traditional Acholi dancers.
Heavy trucks and lorries carrying cattle and other goods soon followed, joining small vehicles on the newly restored bridge. Ecweru described the event as a special day for Uganda, particularly for residents of Kiryandongo district and northern Uganda, who had been significantly affected by traffic diversions during the repairs.
Ecweru highlighted the urgency of rehabilitating the bridge to restore the smooth transportation of goods and passengers. He commended the government’s swift intervention and praised residents for their patience and resilience during the closure, despite hardships like increased transport costs and declining local businesses.
“I’m grateful for the people Kiryandongo, particularly Karuma centre. These people, the closure of this road threatened to kill their town but they were patient. And today, the town is coming back to life. They used to call me and ask me – I don’t know who gave them my number. Local people would call me and tell me, minister, ‘I have been earning by just cooking and roasting things for the people passing. Now I’m starving’ and I didn’t have an answer. I would just say by the grace of our lord you will survive and I’m happy most of them have survived to see the road open,” Ecweru said.
Engineer Lawrence Pario, Unra’s head of bridges and structures, reported that 95 per cent of the major rehabilitation works had been completed, including replacement of 12 bridge bearings, laying of asphalt, installation of guardrails, lights, and parapet walls.
Pario, however, noted that four expansion joints essential for the bridge’s movement are still being shipped from China and are expected to arrive by January 2025.
Local business owners, like Joseline Busingye, who runs Damzonian Pub in Karuma town council, shared their struggles during the bridge’s closure.
“At some point, you get only one or two customers to the pub, it was a struggle. I am happy that the government has finally reopened the bridge,” she said.
Concerns
Some leaders raised concerns about the delayed completion of auxiliary works and visible cracks on the bridge deck. Gilbert Olanya, Kilak South legislator, emphasized the importance of promptly installing the expansion joints to ensure the bridge’s durability.
Judith Alyek, chairperson of the Lango Parliamentary Group, criticized the low height of the guardrails, citing past accidents where vehicles plunged into the Nile.
“What I have seen today is not what I expected especially on the rails. I expected the rails to go higher on the sides. Even if it is a rehabilitation, the engineers, the government could have considered that like the bridge of Packwach and other bridges where the rails are high than what used to cause accidents. Many trailers went in the water because of the corner. They lose control, they go in water. So we don’t want a repeat of what used to happen on the short rails,” Alyek stated.
Eng Michael Ochola, the site engineer, reassured leaders that the visible cracks were temporary spaces filled with sawdust and geotextile materials to accommodate the expansion joints, which will be installed in January.
The Shs 6.8 billion rehabilitation project was undertaken by the National Enterprise Corporation (NEC) and China Seventh Railway Group. Engineers say the works have extended the 62-year-old bridge’s lifespan by over 20 years.
The government is also progressing plans to construct a new suspended bridge over the Nile as an alternative to Karuma Bridge. This project will be funded and implemented by the Japanese government.
