Uganda has closed Karuma Bridge, a key arterial connection to South Sudan and DR Congo, to traffic to pave the way for major repairs, plunging the region into significant transportation challenges.

 

Karuma Bridge is 266km north of Kampala, and 175km south of Nimule on the Uganda-South Sudan border.

The closure of the bridge has disrupted the flow of both passenger and freight traffic, with transporters reporting long turnaround times for trucks, and high operating costs as goods reach markets late.

The bridge, according to Uganda’s Minister of Transport and Works Gen Katumba Wamala, was closed due to safety concerns, amid the negative economic impact expected during the closure.“The contractor will start the demolition of the concrete deck immediately to allow major works for its restoration,” explained minister Wamala, projecting the rehabilitation to last three months.

Earlier in May, the bridge was partially closed to buses and trucks after it was destroyed by heavy rains in the region.“The closure is necessary to facilitate repairs on a significant crack that was discovered in April. Following an assessment, the bridge was temporarily restricted to heavy vehicles at that time due to concerns over its structural integrity,” the minister said.

The sorry state of the bridge reached worrying levels after inspections by local and Japanese experts discovered big cracks, and water leakage due to alkali-aggregate reaction.

The contractor is to reseal the deck slab with a layer of asphalt concrete, replacing the loose expansion joints and general maintenance and approach guardrails and concrete jacketing to all the substructures.

The vehicles that used to cross the Karuma Bridge have been stopped at Kafu and traffic diverted to the Masindi-Paraa through Murchison Falls National Park to Pakwach or Gulu via Olwiyo route, which increases the distance by over 150km, an additional cost to truckers.

Typically, the cost of fuel for cargo trucks has increased by 57.1 per cent from Ush1.75 million ($473) to Ush2.75 million ($744) from Kampala to Juba, but truck owners say they are yet to pass the costs to their customers.

Hiring a 28-tonne truck from Kampala to deliver goods to Juba costs Ush7 million ($1,895), while a 35-tonne pulling truck or trailer will cost the importer Ush8 million ($2,166).

The ongoing repairs at Karuma have also resulted in drivers spending longer hours on the Kampala-Juba route due to speed restrictions (40kph) on the stretch that goes through Murchison Falls National Park. Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) also restricted transit times for vehicles through the park“No vehicles drive through the Murchison National Park after 6pm,” said Asadu Musisi, regional heavy truck drivers' association chairman.

The other challenge which is pushing up hours before they deliver cargo to Juba is the poor state of some parts of the road from Bulisa to Pakwach, he said.

The road is narrow, with sharp inclines that force drivers to keep to speeds of 40kph.“Before the closure of the bridge to traffic, 11 hours were enough for a truck from Kampala to be in Elegu but now it takes 19 hours,” Musisi told The East African.

The disruption in the regional transport system, according to Businge Wilson Rwabwogo, a director of East Africa Business Council, would have been avoided if Uganda if railway system and water transport network were operational.

Over 90 percent of goods in Uganda are transported by road, which is expensive compared with water and rail.

Currently, it’s only the Malaba-Mukono line that is functional, but it faces a shortage of rolling stock.

Authorities are still looking for funders of the bridge project with eyes on Japan, Works and Transport Permanent Secretary Waiswa Bageya told The East African.

The new bridge, according to feasibility studies, has the potential to benefit South Sudan, DRC and Ethiopia.

Apart from Karuma, the construction of a new bridge on Katonga River, about 85km southwest of Kampala -- a critical link to the country’s food basket in western Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi, the Kivus in DR Congo -- is also expected to start soon, said Allan Sempewa of the Uganda National Roads Authority.

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