The Ministry of Works and Transport of Uganda has conducted the bid opening session for the Kampala-Jinja Expressway project. This marks a very significant step in the long-awaited infrastructure project.
The event was attended by top officials from the Ministry of Works and Transport and the Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) Unit, saw the submission of a bid from one consortium. This comes after the prequalification of four consortia.
The consortia had been invited a long time ago to submit proposals for this long awaited expressway project. This project is foreseen to improve connectivity between the capital city of Uganda, Kampala, and country’s second largest town Jinja.
Kampala-Jinja Expressway (KJE) Project Factsheet
Length: The expressway will be approximately 95 kilometers long.
Route: The expressway will start at Nakawa in Kampala, pass through Namanve and Mukono, and end at the New Jinja Bridge in Njeru.
Purpose: The project aims to relieve congestion on the existing Kampala-Jinja highway, provide a fast and efficient transit route, and cater to future growth.
Construction: The project will be built on a new alignment starting from Ntinda/Kyambogo, through Namagunga, Namataba to Jinja.
Cost: The estimated cost of the project is $1.4 billion, with the government contributing approximately $400 million.
Timeline: Construction was expected to begin in 2015, with commissioning planned for 2020
The Ministry stated in a statement on Friday that with the bid now officially received, “ the evaluation phase will kick off immediately.” The process will mainly focus on evaluating the bidder’s compliance with the legal, technical, environmental and also the financial requirements that are in place.
The Ugandan government expects this evaluation process to be finished within a period of two months. Once completed, a determination will be made on whether the bidder qualifies for the contract award of the project.
Cost of the Kampala-Jinja Expressway Project
According to the officials, this project will cost approximately $1.4 billion.
This upcoming expressway project is a part of a very crucial international highway segment. This highway connects Uganda to the Port of Mombasa in Kenya. It will therefore allows the facilitation of movement of goods and services across the region.
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This route is very key for the trade activities to and from Uganda, DRC, Rwanda Burundi, and even South Sudan.
Design of the Kampala-Jinja Expressway
This upcoming expressway has been designed as a toll freeway and will consist of an eight-lane section for the first four kilometres. Furthermore, it will also feature a six-lane section that will extend to Mukono and lastly a four-lane section from Mukono to Jinja.
The expressway project will also consist of more than 60 bridges and major interchanges. There will also be link roads to major towns, fencing along the entire expressway stretch. Lastly there will be installation of lighting, and toll plaza.
Significance of the Project
Upon completion, this upcoming Kampala-Jinja Expressway will alleviate the severe traffic congestion that is usually experienced along the route.
Additionally, the increased capacity and improved infrastructure will greatly reduce the travel time between the two points. This will eventually enhance both economic productivity and regional trade.
As the procurement process of the project is now moving to the next level, stakeholders are watching keenly the progress of Uganda’s most transformative road projects to date.
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