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One month later, Shs11b Karuma Bridge faces closure again for additional repairs

Kampala, (UG):- Karuma Bridge, a vital link connecting Kampala to northern Uganda via Nwoya is starring at yet another shutdown to allow additional repairs within less than two months since its reopening, the Minister of Works and Transport Gen. Katumba Wamala has said.

The bridge, which cost the government Shs11 billion of tax payer’s money after it was initially closed on September 23, 2024, was partially reopened just before Christmas on December 20, allowing light vehicles and buses to cross, but not heavy trucks.

While appearing before the Parliament Committee on the Budget on Wednesday, Gen. Katumba, revealed that the technical team is still evaluating the situation to determine whether repairs can proceed while vehicles continue crossing or if a complete closure will be required.

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“The technical team are still doing the technical examinations, to see whether they can fix those expansion joints as vehicles continue crossing or whether it will require some days of closing for those joints to be fixed,” the minister said on February 5.

Gen. Katumba, however, assured lawmakers that any closure would only occur after parents have taken their children back to school.

“I told my people that even if there will be a need for closing, don’t close this period when people are taking kids back to school. Then after that, we shall see if the closing is necessary, and then we shall communicate,” he said.

Following the rehabilitation works carried out last year that included demolishing the concrete deck and conducting major restoration efforts, Gen. Katumba said additional work is now required to enable heavy trucks to cross the bridge safely.

“We had some materials which we had to import and which has been imported and is in the country, which are called expansion joints and those are the ones we are going to fix to enable the heavy trucks to also cross,” he explained.

The Ministry of Works and Transport is expected to provide further communication on whether the closure will be deemed necessary after the ongoing technical assessments.

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