Nakasongola-Kayunga bridge to be complete next month

The construction of a bridge on a new road that connects the neighbouring districts of Nakasongola and Kayunga will be completed next month, the contractor has said.
While addressing the media at the site on Wednesday, Ms Lilian Nabisere, the project coordinator of Omega Construction Ltd, said 95 percent of the construction works have been completed .
“By the end of next month, the bridge will be ready for testing and the road will be ready for use by travellers,” Ms Nabisere said.

When asked why the Shs21b project was not completed after the six -month extension period, the engineer said they had hoped to complete the work in February, but faced challenges related to construction in water coupled with unexpected hike of prices of building materials.
“You know construction in water is not as easy as when one constructs on normal land. In some cases, we have to spend days drawing water from the construction site and this means losing time,” she said.
The completed works on the 36 metre bridge include the box culvert of eight cells, the drainage structures and the 3.6km road embankment.
“The remaining works include construction of the wearing course (final layer) on the road embankment,”she added.

The road will act as a shorter route for travellers from Kayunga and Nakasongola districts, who currently incur high transport costs and spend a lot of time as they have to go through Kampala before proceeding to either district.
Mr Charles Tebandeke, the Bbaale County MP, said the bridge would boost trade.  “Lack of a road that connects the two districts over River Ssezibwa has been impacting negatively on trade between people in the area. Now that next month the road would be ready, I urge my people to use it to increase their household income,” Mr Tebandeke said.

He said the new road would create a highway through the district to northern parts of the country, which will boost the development of urban centres such as Kitimbwa, Kayonza, Bbaale and Gayaza.
Mr Sam Kigula, the Nakasongola District chairperson, in one interview  said several people have drowned in River Ssezibwa after canoes capsized .
“We thank government for this project we should use it to boost trade in our area,” Mr Kigula said.
Kayunga district is known for banana and pineapple growing while Nakasongola is known for charcoal and animal rearing.

Kayunga has in the last six years benefited from big government infrastructural projects which have spurred development in the area.
In 2019, government completed  the  183mega watts Isimba Dam on River Nile as well as  reconstructing  Mukono-Kayunga-Njeru road which has improved traffic and created a market for goods and services . 
Also, the government completed the Isimba Bridge that connects Kayunga and Kamuli districts across River Nile.

 Background

In 1985 during Obote II regime, there were plans to tarmac the Kayunga-Galilaaya road up to Lake Kyoga to create a shorter route for travellers from  northern region, but the plan  was not implemented after the government was toppled. 
In 2019, the Ministry of Works and Transport, contracted Omega Construction Ltd to build the road and the bridge over River Ssezibwa at Shs21 billion.

 The works were supposed to be completed within 18 months, but the contractor was granted a six-month extension after facing challenges brought about by heavy rain, theft and drastic increase in prices of building materials, change in structural design of the bridge and Covid-19-induced lockdown.