By Christopher Oola
The temporary closer of Karuma Bridge for the installation of the expansion joints on the bridge deck is expected after the beginning of the first term school calendar.
The first term of the 2025 school year will begin on Monday, February 2, 2025.
Karuma Bridge, which serves as a major link and gateway between Midwestern, Northern Uganda, and the West Nile Sub-region, was reopened on December 20, 2024, to light traffic following three months of rehabilitation work.
While key structures that had deteriorated, such as the bearings and the bridge deck, were replaced, the bridge was reopened without the installation of expansion joints.
Early this month, the Ministry confirmed the shipping into the country, the four expansion joints from China, awaiting installation works by the contractor.
However the traffic flow on the bridge is most likely to be temporarily halted for two weeks for the engineers to install the expansion joints.
Two of the expansion joints will be installed at with ends of the bridge deck while two will be installed in mid-sections of the deck.
Allan Ssempebwa, a Communications Officer at the Ministry of Works and Transport, confirmed to Mega Fm that the installation works is going to be done after the start of first term next week to avoid inconveniencing the learners.
