Road to 'biggest national radar' nears completion

(Credit: Samuel Balagadde)

The 1.5km road to what is planned to be the biggest national radar at Sungira Hill in Nakasongola district is in the final stages of completion.

The project, costing sh14b, is being done by Energo Projekt under the supervision of the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA).

Work started in April last year and upon completion, the road will be handed over to the government for a defects liability period of one year.

It is understood that the planned radar will be the strongest and with will work hand-in-hand with the one at Entebbe International Airport.

Construction of the road - with a lifespan of about 30 years - is partly to facilitate the movement of bulky radar equipment to the site.

The stretch leading to the facility traverses the hilly rocks that the contractor has been blasting using sophisticated technology to prevent stray rock pieces from affecting the area residents.

Ronald Olaki, UNRA resident  engineer for the project , said  the contractor  is currently  clearing the site  for  construction  and  erection  of the radar.

Due to the steepness of the road, the contractor has erected several signposts warning motorists and cyclists.

Olaki said the road involved compensation of a number of residents at the beginning of the road project from the main road  in Nakasongola  and the ministry of defense is  handling the matter.

Eng.  Devis Ngobi from Energo Projekt said they have faced difficulty in accessing water for the project due to the dry spell and they have had to collect it from a distance of 30km.