Agency
Karuma Bridge, a vital link on the Gulu-Kampala highway, is temporarily closed to all traffic to facilitate the installation of expansion joints.
Karuma Bridge was reopened to traffic on December 20 last year after undergoing three months of rehabilitation work.
While the bridge deck and bearings were replaced, the government reopened the bridge without the expansion joints, a crucial structural component for the long-term stability and safety of the bridge.
Allan Ssempebwa, a Communications Officer at the Ministry of Works and Transport confirmed on Monday that the bridge will be closed to all traffic to enable installation of four expansion joints.
The expansion joints shipped from China were delivered in the country in January this year, a month after the bridge had been temporarily reopened to traffic.
Ssempebwa noted that the installation works are expected to be completed within three weeks before motorists are allowed to resume using the bridge.
The proposed new suspended Karuma bridge will be funded by the Japanese government through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Already, JICA team have conducted an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment for the proposed new bridge which were released last year.
