The Uganda National Roads Authority has made a clarification on the ongoing works on the new Nile bridge in Jinja that was commissioned last year.
Responding to a photo that was widely circulated on social mdeia over the weekend showing works on the new bridge causing outrage among the population the roads body said that, “The works on the #SourceofTheNileBridge are by design. At it’s launch, @UNRA_UG clarified that the contractor would carry out a 3months trial test period to identify the right asphalt to form the permanent texture for the bridge”.
“This is not a structural defect. The temporary course seen is part of the tests being performed on #SourceOfTheNileBridge to form baseline data for the bridge structural health. Once the tests are done, a permanent asphalt layer will be placed”.
The Nile bridge with road works currently ongoing
A statement on the UNRA website reads, ”
In an earlier communication, the Uganda National Roads Authority [UNRA] informed the public that the Contractor on the Source of the Nile Bridge in Jinja was conducting several tests to form a base line data for the Bridge Structural Health monitoring.
We also added that the wearing course seen and referred to as ‘bumpy’ or cracked by a section of the public is a non structural attachment and therefore not a defect on the bridge.
It’s to be replaced with permanent asphalt as soon as investigation on structural behaviour is concluded and baseline data is formed. This will be done within the defect liability period before contractor leaves the site.
At the moment, the Contractor has completed all the tests and has embarked on plans to start application of permanent asphalt on the bridge deck but as a contractual requirement they are preparing a trial section of asphalt on the bridge at the length of approximately 100m on both approaches of the bridge.
This is ongoing and the exercise shall not interrupt the flow of traffic on the brid”.
