Uganda recently opened Africa’s fifth-largest, it’s has been named “Source of the Nile bridge“, and cost $112 million to construct. The bridge is located in Jinja in the eastern part of the country.
The bridge is 525-meter-long, it’s a cable-stayed bridge and was funded by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni claims the bridge will serve for at least 120 years. The government of Japan financed 80% as a loan of US$100 million at an annual interest rate of 0.01%, repayable in 10 years but extendable to 40 years, the new bridge is built across the Victoria Nile and is expected to reduce the heavy traffic that passes through the Nalubaale Bridge, which was built 64 years ago.
During an inspection tour of the construction site by the Japanese ambassador to Uganda, the contractors revealed that they had started using steel from an unnamed Ugandan manufacturer after the product met the contractors’ standards. The bridge has a “roadside station” or service center on the Jinja side, which will host a restaurant, supermarket, public toilets, and an exhibition area. The station will also accommodate a chamber for bridge maintenance, security and an emergency response unit, Busiweek Reports.
In Africa, The Source of the Nile Bridge is the fifth longest cable-stayed bridge after Suez Canal Bridge (3,900) in Egypt, Lekki Ikoyi Bridge (1,360m) in Nigeria, Mohammed VI Bridge (950m) in Morocco and Tanzania’s Kigamboni.
The new bridge is only for vehicles and pedestrians. Boda bodas and cyclists should not use it. Use the old bridge. It is the season of big projects in Uganda. We will soon unveil new projects like the hydro power dams. pic.twitter.com/MIqgJQpHxl
— Yoweri K Museveni (@KagutaMuseveni) October 17, 2018
New Jinja bridge in Uganda over the Nile has been commissioned. Infrastructure improvements are becoming more common in Africa. pic.twitter.com/WKG2Pob2PD
— Carlos Lopes (@LopesInsights) October 17, 2018
