Arua leaders query narrow size of road
A grader works on Vurra-Arua-Koboko-Oraba road in Arua Municipality on Wednesday which residents say is narrow. PHOTO BY FELIX WAROM OKELLO
Arua.
Residents of Arua Municipality have questioned the size of the Vurra-Arua-Oraba highway under construction, arguing that its narrow size can not hold the ever-growing traffic.
Several vehicles queue in jam over the current narrow size of the road.
District leaders claim contract documents, which had earlier indicated that the road be widened to accommodate vehicles and pedestrians, were flouted.
The district chairperson, Mr Sam Nyakua, the municipal mayor, Mr Charles Asiki, and their technical officials put the road construction officials to task to explain why work was not moving on as expected.
“We are concerned about the size of the road which is narrow for a town to become a city. The works are taking longer than we had hoped,” Mr Nyakua said on Wednesday.
They were also concerned that sensitisation of the masses about the implications of the road was not adequately done by Uganda National Roads Authority, adding that compensation to affected residents was taking too long to be effected.
But Mr Davis Kofi, the resident engineer for Chongqing International Construction Corporation, the Chinese firm contracted for the job, said there were many barriers like water and electricity lines hindering the effective road works in the town.
“We have already compensated the power company to relocate their electricity poles in the town so that we can widen the road, but the other adjustments will also involve costs,” Mr Kofi said.
The senior municipal physical planner, Mr Moses Findru, said: “We shall not have sufficient place for parking if the road remains narrow as it is now. The dual carriage should be widened so that trucks can be diverted to leave other cars on a different road.”
Mr Nyakua also directed the National Water and Sewerage Corporation to liaise with the company to avoid damaging the road in the future in case they want to pass their water lines.
“We don’t want this business of destroying the road after everything has been done. This road is a very expensive investment which should be protected,” he said.
