The Karuma fall bridge was connecting Kampala to Northern Uganda ,West Nile ,Dr. Congo via Goli and South Sudan with Lorries ,Trucks and Buses.
Only passengers vehicles carrying up to 28 persons will be allowed to use the bridge ‘’ the Uganda National Roads Authority said.
UNRA released a statement on Friday that says we anticipate that the intervention will be completed in 3 months.
They said the condition assessment of the bridge , it had been established that some element of its structure have deteriorated particularly on the Kampala highway.
The continued exposure of the ever increasing heavy traffic is likely to accelerate its deterioration and serviceability if not addressed in time.
Allan Ssempebwa the UNRA spoke person said ‘the intervention after the diagnostic was planned to take us until we ready to have a new and permanent bridge at Karuma we need to intervene as soon as possible.
The engineer also said that when they approached President Museveni asking for funding to work on the defects.
He didn’t approval to the pending file with plans for a cable bridge similar to the new river Nile bridge in Jinja city
Last year , the minister of works and transport Katumba Wamala told the parliament that the government was looking for funds to construct the new Karuma bridge.
But the latest development will force the looking funds to come sooner with UNRA saying they have commenced to process of identifying a competent contractor who will undertake the restoration on of the bridge structure as quickly as possible.
The motorists from Kampala to Gulu and west Nile advised to use Luwero – Kafu -Masindi- Paraa to connect to Pakwach or Gulu via Owiyo
Those motorists going to Lira use lganga -Nakalama -Tirinyi -Pallisa-Kumi-Soroti-Lira route
The Karum fall bridge was constructed in 1963 to help to cotton farmers in Northern Uganda.
