Moroto road compensation starts

By Billy Rwothungeyo

The Uganda National Roads Authority has this week started the verification of compensation claims for projected affected persons and demarcating land to be used for the road corridor for the upgrade of the Nakapiripirit-Moroto road.

The Government has injected sh184, 378,906,666 into the project to upgrade the road to bituminous standard — tarmac.

“UNRA has signed a contract with a private firm, M/s Surmap Surveys in joint venture with Resco Property Consultant Surveyors to carry out the compensation exercise,” Dan Alinange, UNRA’s head of corporate communications told New Vision.

Compensation will start in April after the completion of the verification process slated to end on March 27. The payments will continue for the 36 months duration of the project.

UNRA intends to acquire a 30-meter corridor for a single carriage way, inclusive of the road reserve.

China Road and Bridge Corporation won the contract for the road works, after an open international competitive bidding process. Their contract is another sign of the increasing Chinese contingent company presence on major road works in Uganda.

UNRA says the contractor is currently mobilising equipment and staff. Works are expected to commence in April.

Heavy duty trucks, carrying limestone from Moroto to Tororo have been partly blamed for the poor condition of the road. UNRA says a weigh bridge will be installed on the road as one way of curbing overloading.

“The works to be carried out comprise the upgrading to class 2 Bitumen standard of 93.3km of existing marrum track. The completed road will have 3.5m wide traffic lanes flanked two 1.5m wide surfaced shoulders, giving an overall roadway width of 10.0m,” Alinange says.

The works will also include earthworks for widening, improvements to align geometry and side ditches, construction of shoulders.

The new road will have a carriage way with improved subgrades in some sections, sub-base (cement stabilised natural gravel), base (crushed stone material) and a wearing course.

The marram 93.3km road is an important link in the national road network and contributes significantly to transport in north-east Uganda.