Mega Fm: Uganda has signed a civil works contract for the construction of a new Karuma Bridge along the Kampala-Gulu Highway, paving the way for the long-awaited infrastructure project to begin according to a report from the Nile Post News.
The contract was signed in Japan on Friday during a ceremony attended by officials from both Uganda and Japan.
The project is being financed by the Government of Japan through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and will be executed by Japanese construction firm Zenitaka Corporation.
The new bridge is expected to improve road safety, connectivity, trade and regional integration along the Kampala-Gulu route, which links central Uganda to the northern region and neighbouring South Sudan.
The new bridge will replace the existing Karuma Bridge, which was constructed in 1963 and has in recent years undergone several repairs due to structural concerns and increased traffic volumes.
The contract signing follows a financing agreement concluded between Uganda and Japan in March this year, under which Japan committed approximately 4.939 billion Japanese Yen, equivalent to about Shs121 billion, towards the project.
According to the Ministry of Works and Transport, the new crossing will be a 240-metre elevated cable-stayed bridge constructed about 12 metres higher than the existing bridge.
The construction of the new Karuma Bridge is set to begin in October 2026 after the Government of Uganda signed a contract with Japanese firm Zenitaka Corporation for the civil works according to the Nile Post News Agency.
A groundbreaking ceremony for the new Karuma Bridge is scheduled for September 2026, ahead of the start of civil works in October.
