Vice President commissions multi-billion European Union-Government of Uganda funded road

24.01.2022

H.E Vice President Rtd. Major Jessica Alupo yesterday commissioned the second phase of the Kampala Northern By-pass Road, a major highway part of the Northern Corridor Route that links Uganda, DR Congo, Burundi, Rwanda and South Sudan to the port of Mombasa.

The project, titled, Capacity Improvement of the Kampala Northern Bypass, was co-funded by the Government of Uganda (GoU), the European Union (EU) and the European Investment Bank (EIB).

First conceived in 1993, the Kampala Northern Bypass was planned as a two-phase project whose first phase – which was solely financed by the European Union – was completed in October 2009. The Government of Uganda undertook to construct the first phase of the Kampala Northern Bypass project between 2004 and 2009 with a grant from the EU of EUR 52.2 million. The second phase of the Kampala Northern By-pass Road project commenced in July 2014 and was financed through a EUR 40 million grant from the EU and a EUR 7.2 million concessional loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) along with Government of Uganda funding to the tune of EUR 124.7 million.

The Vice President, Rtd. Maj. Jessica Alupo hailed the EU for supporting Uganda’s road infrastructure development and said: “The Government of Uganda thanks the European Union for providing financial support towards the development of critical infrastructure aimed at accelerating the socio-economic transformation of Uganda and the East African region at large.”

The EU Ambassador, H.E Attilio Pacifici said: "Can you take a moment to imagine what life would be like in the Kampala metropolitan area without the Kampala Northern Bypass? This project is but one of many in the long and rich history of cooperation between the European Union and Uganda. Over the last 35 years, the EU has supported Uganda’s transport sector with grants amounting to approximately EUR 800 million (UGX 3 trillion going by today’s exchange rates).”

The UNRA Executive Director, Ms. Allen C. Kagina said: “The Capacity Improvement of the Kampala Northern Bypass Project has taken us long strides to complete and demanded considerable amount of money. However, each coin we spent on the road as well as the efforts have been worth it. We now have a bypass which will greatly contribute to smooth and safe traffic movement within and around Kampala. The road will not only facilitate traffic flow but also enhance the growth of the National Economy. We are not just building roads, we are building the future of our Country Uganda.”

Construction of the dual carriageway highway was done by Mota-Engil, Engenharia E Construcao SA, a subsidiary of the Mota-Engil civil engineering and construction conglomerate, based in Portugal.

Mr Mauro Ventura, Motal-Engil Uganda Managing Director said: “We are delighted to successfully deliver on our contract to build the second phase of the Kampala Northern Bypass. A challenging project but with a happy ending. Mota-Engil cannot be more grateful to all stakeholders for the support and work to achieve this great milestone; in a special way to the more than 1500 employees, 90% of whom are Ugandans for their handprint in this magnificent project. We are proud to contribute to Uganda's development, economic growth and improved livelihood of its citizens.”

Eng. Tesfaye G. Taye, the COWI Deputy Resident Engineer said: “COWI is grateful to the Government of Uganda, the European Union and UNRA for getting opportunity to be part of this grand project. It has participated in the design review and construction supervision works. Even though there were so many challenges through the project's life, COWI has managed to carry out its responsibility with highest professional ethics thanks to its hardworking and disciplined Ugandan and expatriate staff. COWI congratulates and says well done to all stakeholders. Building good roads will undoubtedly create wealth to the country in the long-run apart from creating jobs in the short-term.”  

Despite delays to completion of the road project particularly related to land acquisition challenges and a significant upgrade of the project design during construction and under heavy traffic, the project has delivered substantial outputs.

Now, mobility in and around Kampala through a capacity increase of the Kampala Northern Bypass has substantially increased, relieving congestion on this vital Northern Corridor route, while reducing travel time and vehicle operating costs at the same time improving road safety.

The projects main deliverables include: 

  • Construction of an additional carriageway, approximately 17.5km long, to complete turning the Kampala Northern Bypass to a four-lane dual carriageway road;
  • Construction of three new footbridges at Kyebando, Ntinda, and Naalya to allow safe crossing of pedestrians across the road;
  •  Construction of six new grade-separated interchanges at Sentema, Hoima, Gayaza, Kyebando, Ntinda and Naalya to separate the express traffic along the Kampala Northern Bypass from the adjoining traffic from the connecting roads such as Nabulagala - Sentema, Kampala – Hoima, Kampala – Gayaza roads, among others;
  • Comprehensive road safety features such as (i) segregated facilities for cyclists and pedestrians, (ii) improved lighting, (iii) active road-studs, (iii) improved at-grade crossings at signalized junctions, (iv) full length road edge safety barriers, among others; and
  • A number of other improvements to cater for a better functionality of the road and safety of nearby communities, like improved drainage systems with large capacity drains and box culverts, constructions of utility services crossing ducts (to avoid future damage to the road).

Despite the road construction works generating temporary traffic disruptions, Ugandan road users now stand to enjoy the benefits of one of the most significant pieces of infrastructure in the metropolitan area of Kampala, Uganda’s longest bypass.

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