Traffic along Kampala-Mukono road as UNRA partially closes Ssezibwa bridge

UNRA prohibited heavy vehicles from utilising the crumbling 70-year-old Ssezibwa Bridge on the Kalagi-Kayunga Road during the weekend.

The bridge, which connects Kayunga and Mukono districts, developed fractures, and a section on the Kayunga side collapsed, posing a risk to road users, notably vehicles.

As a result, UNRA advised Jinja motorists to take the 72-kilometre Kampala-Jinja Road or the 64-kilometre Njeru-Kisoga-Mukono Road.

According to the police, only light cars with a single lane are permitted to use the bridge.

Police further said that all big trucks are now using the already congested Kampala-Jinja highway, which has significantly impeded traffic flow.

The colonial government built Ssezibwa Bridge in 1953, but no major improvements have been done since then, other than painting.

The Kayunga District chairperson, Andrew Muwonge, said the alternative routes are longer, and some sections like the Kyampisi-Namataba Road are in an equally sorry state.

Muwonge said the situation is likely to affect businesses in the district, especially those dealing in pineapples, bananas, coffee, and sugarcane, which Kayunga is known for.

According to the police, only light cars with a single lane are permitted to use the bridge.

Police further said that all big trucks are now using the already congested Kampala-Jinja highway, which has significantly impeded traffic flow.

The colonial government built Ssezibwa Bridge in 1953, but no major improvements have been done since then, other than painting.