KAMPALA – Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) engineers worked overnight on Saturday and Sunday to restore a section of Masaka-Kampala highway at Lwera swamp in Kalungu District that had caved on.
The broken section of the road caused massive traffic jam at the weekend with travellers, most of whom were coming back to Kampala after Christmas, spending over two hours as police directed vehicles to use one part of the road.
UNRA Spokesperson Mark Ssali in an interview with this website on Monday morning said the road has been repaired.
Asked what could have caused the road to cave in, Mr Ssali said UNRA engineers would assess the entire road before making a final report. The road was only upgraded in 2013.
Sam Mwesigwa, an Engineer, says the road has many wetland sections, which might require a strong base to sustain pressure. UNRA highway specialist Moses Ochole, during a stakeholder’s meeting in Greater Masaka, observed that there are possibilities that the contractor unknowingly used faulty culverts.
Eng. Mwesigwa also points to delayed maintenance of the road as another challenge. He says there is need for regular maintenance given the huge traffic and weather changes.
