Government to start procurement for Kampala flyover projects
An artistic impression of how the road section at the Jinja Road traffic lights will look like after completion. FILE PHOTO
What you need to know:
- The companies were non-committal on whether they would submit bids for the project.
- The flyovers are expected to decongest the city.
Kampala. The first of three flyover projects within Kampala is expected to be put out for procurement in February 2017, Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) has revealed.
The first flyovers are the Clock Tower and Mukwano Roundabout Flyovers that are expected to decongest the city once completed.
Ms Allen Kagina, the UNRA executive director, while speaking at the Japan-Uganda High-Quality Infrastructure Conference on Monday revealed that the design for the first phase had been completed and now the procurement process would start soon.
“We are going to commence procurement for Lot 1 for the Clock Tower flyover and expansion of the road around the Mukwano roundabout in February 2017,” she told delegates.
An Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for the project released in 2015 reveals that there will be a flyover at the Clock Tower and expansion of Queensway linked to the Nsambya Traffic Lights all the way to the current Mukwano Roundabout.
The section around the Mukwano Roundabout will be expanded and will include an underpass.
UNRA also reveals that it will begin the procurement process for a contractor for Lot 2 of the project, the Kitgum House Flyover is expected in October 2017.
According to the ESIA report, this would reduce time and cost of transportation.
“During operation, transport options especially for motorised transport as well as NMT at Junctions and along the FOs will improve along with substantial time savings and a reduction in vehicle emissions. These will translate into a healthier environment and improved living conditions for the impacted community,” the report reads.
The entire project is expected to cost $200m (Shs725b), which has already been secured from the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
The ESIA was completed in March 2014 and one the challenges for the project is dealing with compensation.
The values stated in the ESIS place compensation for the entire project (about 15 acres) will be about Shs55bn but that is going by values determined in 2013.
Japanese companies target project
At the conference, about 23 companies, mostly construction firms, have set their target on securing the contract for the project.
According to H.E Kazuaki Kameda, the Japanese Ambassador to Uganda, Uganda presents an opportunity to investors to take part in the decongestion of Kampala.
“Many cities such as Kampala have been experiencing rapid urbanisation and the need for traffic congestion countermeasures and improvement of infrastructure development. Landlocked Uganda plays an important role in the Northern Corridor,” he said.
The companies were non-committal on whether they would submit bids for the project.
However, Mr Takeshi Mugishima, the Assistant vice minister, in the ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, told Daily Monitor on the sidelines of the conference noted that Japanese firms would indeed submit bids once UNRA puts the tender out.
The project is currently behind schedule as construction was previously expected to commence in 2016.
