The site engineer, Lawrence Pario said that the bridge will be commissioned on October 17.Â
“We are done with all the permanent works which include installing the cables that join the bridge from Njeru to Jinja and the 2.6km road leading the public to the bridge making it ready for use,” Pario says.
Pario also says that two rest areas have been constructed on both the Jinja and Njeru side of the bridge to serve as refreshment, parking and recreation centers for the passengers on the Nile bridge.
Pario adds that the bridge is uniquely constructed and will beautify the skyline of Jinja. The 525 meter-long bridge is the first cable-stayed bridge in East Africa crossing Victoria Nile and linking the Northern Corridor that connects Kenya with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Zenitaka Corporation of Japan and Hyundai Engineering and Construction Company from South Korea constructed the bridge.
The total cost of the new bridge was about Shs 390 billion – with the government of Japan financing up to 80 per cent of the cost in form of a loan, while Uganda was supposed to fund the remaining 20 per cent. The old Nalubaale bridge was built in 1954 and has outlived its lifespan – even developing cracks.Â
