The newly constructed 525 metre long Second Nile Cable-stayed bridge is set to be commissioned on October 17, 2018, bringing to an end the one of the most sophisticated engineering exercises Uganda has ever had.
The Minister of Information Frank Tumwebaze indicated that major construction work at the bridge had been completed with only minor works on electrical work, road markings left to be done.
Over the weekend, Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) conducted a static load testing on the new bridge.
Although its completion had been set for June 2017, delays in procuring additional funding for the project, required for an extension of the completion date. Besides, some Ugandan engineers have hailed the time within which it was completed as a major engineering achievement considering its complexity.
The project cost an estimated UGX390bn with the bulk of the money coming from the government of Japan through a long-term concessional loan.
The bridge Design checks were concurrently carried out by a UK structural engineering company Arup UK which released the final design. But the main contractors of the bridge were Zenitika corporation from Japan, Hyundai engineering and construction company from South Korea and Ultracom from Malaysia as sub contractors.
The constructed bridge across the Nile at Jinja, is promising to boost trade in eastern Africa and pave the way for smooth and safe traffic in and out of this landlocked country (Uganda).
