UNRA GIVES OUT THE $1BILLION KAMPALA JINJA EXPRESSWAY

UNRA has invited bids from private investors to develop and operate a new 95km highway between its capital Kampala and Jinja City in the country’s east to ease congestion on the ageing existing road.

The estimated $1 billion project forms part of the northern trade corridor from Mombasa in Kenya through to Kigali in Rwanda. This is a strategic corridor which serves as a trade link to the sea for land-linked countries of Uganda, Rwanda and DRC.

Kampala Jinja Expressway (KJE) is one of five expressway projects identified in the Vision 2040 and National Development Plan II as critical for the economic development of Uganda. In line with this aspiration, KJE was designed to an expressway standard in line with Government objectives and consistent with the country’s expressway network.

The expressways are being constructed to the same standard and together they will form a network that will enable quick mobility of vehicles within and around Kampala and surrounding areas.

In the tender documents published on Friday, state-run Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) said the private developer will be “expected to design, build, finance, operate … and transfer the project back to government at the conclusion of the operational period.

Construction although behind schedule is expected to commence in 2018 at Shoprite Lugogo in Nakawa, through Kyambogo where it turns into Kinawataka and Kasokoko, Namanve and Mukono culminating at the new Nile Bridge already under construction. The road is expected to take take upto 7 years to construct.

However, the construction will be in phases.
The project comprises of a divided 8-lane new road over the 4 km, 6-lane to Mukono town and 4-lane road between Mukono to end of Project in Jinja town. The design include over 6 major interchanges and link roads to all major towns along the road, over 60 bridges including Roads over Bridges and crossing of water structures, fencing throughout the length of the road, lighting and toll plazas.

The road will significantly reduce the travel time between the capital city – Kampala and second biggest economic town-Jinja to just 37 Mins from the current 1 and half hours to 3 hours depending on the time of day and level of traffic. The reduction in travel time will improve the fortunes of the two towns, especially Jinja, whose distance from kampala scares potential investors and residents.