The glamorous single cable bridge spanning River Nile that connects to Jinja Town in Eastern Uganda has aroused excitement among sections of the public after completion.
The New Bridge will officially be commissioned by President Yoweri Kaguta Musevni tomorrow (Wednesday).
The bridge was funded by Japenese and Ugandan governments.
Ahead of its launch, it has been lit-up with its thrilling pictures doing rounds on social media shared both locally and internationally.
The debate triggered debate on several social media platforms with majority of Ugandans extending their gratitude to government for investing in such development which is likely to fetch billions in return through tourism.
Some sections sarcastically posted pictures on their social media pages reminding government critics that the bridge is in Uganda- Jinja not outside countries.
Sheila Nduhukire, a former NTV news anchor who is currently in England, said the bridge looks exquisite and it makes her proud as a Ugandan staying in UK.
The new Bridge is much more similar to Anzac bridge found in the District of Sydney, Australia.
The Wednesday event will be graced by top government officials; Japanese representatives to Uganda and Uganda National Roads Authority staff.
The 525m-long bridge will as well ensure safety of the Northern Corridor Transportation System by relieving traffic loading from the deteriorating Nalubaale Dam/Bridge structure which was opened to traffic in 1954.
Costing shs 450 billion, the bridge will last for 120 years.
What you didn’t know:
It is the longest single plane cable configuration in the entire African Continent.
The 525m-long bridge has a central span of 290m, end spans of 135m and 100m on the east and west banks respectively.
The overall width of the Bridge is 22.9m wide. It has a dual carriageway 7.0m wide with a pedestrian walk way of 2.25m wide on both ends. For security at night, the Bridge will have lighting facilities.
The bridge’s foundation of 1.5m and 2.0m diameter piles are embedded approximately 14-23m deep into hard rock.
The new 1.83km long asphalt approach roads has three at-grade junctions at Nile Breweries, Nytil and Jinja round about to allow interchange of traffic to the existing road network.
