The government, through the Ministry of Works and Transport, is yet to decide on traffic flow over Karuma Bridge as it plans to begin the installation of expansion joints on the bridge deck. 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. Musa Ecweru, the State Minister for Works and Transport while commissioning the refurbished bridge noted at the time that the expansion joints were still being shipped from China and would arrive in mid-January this year.
Allan Ssempebwa, a Communications Officer at the Ministry of Works and Transport confirmed to Uganda Radio Network Thursday that four expansion joints have already arrived in the country from China awaiting installation works by the contractor.
Ssempebwa however noted that the Ministry of Works and Transport was yet to announce the next course of action for traffic flow. “It’s still premature to give you an update on what will be done in terms of traffic flow because our team is working on an arrangement on the same. We will update you on how we will manage the traffic flow,” said Ssempebwa.
He noted that the expansion joints arrived in time as promised by the government and called for calm from road users to wait for the government’s position. “People should not panic; we will guide them on time and adequately as we have done before. We know how concerning the issue of the bridge is to them,” he said.
Engineer Lawrence Pario, the Manager of Bridges and Structures at the Ministry of Works and Transport noted that the expansion joints are expected to arrive on-site at Karuma Bridge by the end of this week. He however estimates that traffic flow on the bridge is 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 according to Pario. Pario said the expansion joints are very crucial for the bridge structure since they allow the bridge deck to freely expand in hot weather and contract in cold weather.
“If not installed, the forces generated during the movements of traffic can trigger cracks and failure of the bridge deck,” he said. The refurbished Karuma bridge according to engineers is expected to last for more than 20 years.
While speaking at the commissioning of the bridge in Karuma Town Council in Kiryandongo District on December 20, 2024, Ecweru noted that after the installation of expansion joints, the bridge will be opened to all traffic by February 15. Karuma Bridge was temporarily closed in April last year following an assessment conducted in December 2023 that found the 62-year-old bridge had developed several structural deteriorations.
Engineers reported that the deck concrete had deteriorated from grade 40 concrete (c35/45) to grade 14 (c14) and was already crumbling, while all 12 bearings and reinforcement steels on the deck had worn out beyond acceptable level after over 60 years in service. The government however intends to construct a new suspended bridge over the Nile River, which aligns with the topography of the area with the project expected to be financed by the Japanese Government.
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