The government of Uganda is set to launch a total of three new footbridges, which have been under construction on the 23km Kampala Northern Bypass, by November this year.
Located strategically at Kyebando, Ntinda and Naalya, the three “strictly” pedestrian bridges were constructed by Monta-engil Company, a Portuguese group that deals in civil construction, public works, port operations, waste, water, and logistics sectors.
Also Read:Construction works on Busega-Mpigi expressway in Uganda to start in November
Construction of the footbridges
Construction works on the three footbridges, according to Mr. Carlos Graca, the structural works engineer at Monta-engil, started approximately two years ago at a cost of around US $3.8m.
“By May this year we had completed putting up the one at Kyebando while those at Ntinda and Naalya were finished in the following two months.” Mr. Graca said.
Late last month, a team from the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) visited the footbridge sites to evaluate the works. Mr. Mark Ssali, UNRA’s head of corporate communications mentioned that the team, after the inspection, asked the contractor to make additional adjustments such as constructing handrails on the footbridges before the public could use them.
Commenting on the request, Mr. Graca said that this was one of the safety measures they are currently looking into and assured the public that when they are done, as soon as next month, the bridges will be good enough for use.
Upgrade of the Northern Bypass
The upgrade of the Kampala Northern by pass into a four-lane high way started back in 2014 with the completion date set for November 2018. However, the date has been pushed to 2021 due to a couple of challenges hindering the project which include; changes on the original design and compensation of the affected people.
Mr. Allan Ssempebwa, UNRA’s media manager last month said that the works stood at 60% and mentioned that the interchanges at Sentema and Namungoona will be handed over to the government by the end of this year.
