Light Traffic Expected to Resume on Karuma Bridge in Three Weeks

Engineers working on the rehabilitation of the Karuma Bridge have announced that light traffic flow is expected to resume within the next three weeks. The government closed the bridge to all traffic in September to allow major repairs after an assessment in April revealed alarming structural defects.

These defects, found in the bridge’s expansion joints, bearings, and deck, had significantly deteriorated, prompting a temporary closure earlier in the year. The Karuma Bridge, which has served for over 60 years, is undergoing critical restoration to ensure its safety and functionality.

Eng. Lawrence Pario, Head of Bridges and Structures at the Uganda National Roads Authority-UNRA, said over the weekend that they have achieved 80 percent progress since July when the physical repairs commenced. Paro says engineers have so far replaced four of the 12 worn-out bearings on the bridge and completely replaced the deck and reinforcement steel bars, which had deteriorated beyond an acceptable level. He says the new concrete deck is already curing and anticipates it will take about three weeks for it to attain 100 percent MPa strength to handle light traffic this month.

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According to Pario, their investigations found that the bearings of the bridge hadn’t been replaced in over 60 years yet it should have been replaced after every 20 years. He also noted that further investigation found the deck concrete had deteriorated to grade 14 (c14) instead of grade 40 concrete (C35/45). Pario noted that the concrete on the deck had already started crumbling, an indication it had outlived its lifespan.

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He however explained that the expansion joints are yet to be replaced adding that the order had been made, and they were already being transported from China. Charles Bongomin, the Deputy Resident Engineer at UNRA says the team of engineers is currently engaging in Auxiliary works that include the approach lane, asphalt wearing layer, and barriers on the bridge.

Other structures being installed include parapet walls to guide traffic approaching the bridge from both ends of the bridge and lighting to ease traffic at night. Bongomin explains that there is a need to have all the structural works completed within the scheduled timeframe to ensure normal traffic flow and reduce the risk some locals are taking to cross the fast-flowing River Nile water. 

Barely a week ago, five people reportedly drowned in the river Nile while crossing from Diicunyi village in Juma Parish, Oyam district to Awoo landing site in Kiryandongo district after their boat capsized. As a way to ensure safety in the structural engineering project, a team of engineers under their body, the Uganda Institution of Professional Engineers (UIPE) on Saturday paid a visit to the Karuma Bridge renovation project.

The engineers who included engineering students from Gulu University were from the sub-regions of Acholi, Teso, West Nile, and Kampala city. Francis Peter Ogik, a member of UIPE from Gulu City said the visit was to assess the progress of the work and inform its members with the reality of structural engineering projects across the country.

With the expansion joints of the bridge and eight other bearings yet to be installed it remains unclear whether the government will go ahead to reopen the bridge to traffic as scheduled before Christmas. The government awarded the three-month contract to renovate the Karuma Bridge to the National Enterprise Corporation (NEC) and China Seventh Railway Group at a whooping cost of 7.9 billion shillings

Since the closure of the Karuma Bridge, which is crucial for connectivity to Northern Uganda, motorists traveling to and out of Northern Uganda are using the Eastern routes and the Murchison Falls National Park Road through the Masindi district. Others are using the alternative route at Masindi Port where UNRA provided an additional ferry.