UGANDA | DRC | UNRA | BRIDGE 

The Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) has secured a breakthrough in the construction of a new and modern Ishasha bridge after the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) gave them the green light.

Representatives of the North Kivu Governor General, Constant Ndima Kongba, granted Uganda permission after two meetings held on both the DRC and Uganda sides of the border on Friday.

The DRC delegation was led by Pacific Patao, while Kanungu Resident District Commissioner Robert Mwesigye led the Ugandan team in the talks and subsequent inspection of the bridge.

The teams first held a meeting on the DRC side of the border and then crossed into Uganda to inspect the cracks on the old bridge.

Later, during a meeting at the Savanah Hotel in Kanungu, Patao said the Ishasha bridge was now key for the DRC since the Bunagana border point was shut down.

“It is now three months since the Bunagana border was closed after it was taken over by the M23 rebels. We now have only the Ishasha border crossing that is open, connecting Uganda to North Kivu. Today, the DRC is making its first major step toward joining the East African Community federation. "We are now one family, and it’s my prayer that our security forces work jointly and, as a region, we shall live in harmony,” Patao said.

Mwesigye said: “We have agreed that there is going to be a joint activity between the technical team from UNRA and the officials from the authority that handles roads in DRC on handling the geotechnical investigations to establish whatever will be required to set up the bridge." We have also agreed to jointly provide security during the construction process.”

He also noted that they had agreed on where to divert traffic during the construction of the bridge and that Uganda would ensure a continuous, uninterrupted flow of traffic to DRC.

Evelyn Kahuma, the project engineer for the RukungiriKagungu-Kihihi-Ishasha road, said negotiations on the rehabilitation of the bridge had stalled for the last four years, yet the project was coming to an end.

She said the bridge, which serves as an economic lifeline for both countries, had outlived its lifespan and developed deep cracks due to increased traffic.

“We have had an engagement with the DRC for the past four years, trying to get access and permission to construct the Ishasha bridge. I am happy that we have finally had a breakthrough. "We did not have high traffic initially, but ever since the Bunagana border was closed down, all the traffic that was going to Congo was diverted to this area,” she said.

Cracks

Ronald Sebirumbi, the team leader for SMEC, the consultants on the project, said the Ishasha bridge has structural cracks and that if it was left the way it is currently, it would eventually collapse.

He said the current bridge is 35 meters long and that they intend to build a new bridge of the same length.

“However, the new bridge will be a two-span bridge with two components the first length will be 20 meters long and the next span will be 35 meters. It will be supported by 30 concrete piles,” he noted.