PRESIDENT MUSEVENI TO BREAK GROUND AS ENTEBBE HIGHWAY WORK GOES UNDERWAY
Construction of the long awaited new toll highway between Kampala and Entebbe will finally go underway as President Museveni will today perform the ground breaking ceremony to signal the formal project start. Two key elements will be covered under the project, namely a new multi lane highway connecting Kampala to the international airport in Entebbe and a branch route from Lweza to Munyonyo, a convention and resort centre at the shores of Lake Victoria. The second is of particular importance as visitors coming for meetings, conventions, conferences and large scale government meetings will upon completion be able to bypass the city entirely on their way from the airport to Munyonyo.
The main section though, just over 51 kilometres long, will be operated as a toll road with users having to part with the shillings, worth though considering the time savings one can generate. The cost, estimated to be in the region of 450+ US Dollars, is financed by China – a Chinese construction company will carry out the work, similar in scope to the new super highway between Nairobi and Thika in Kenya – with the Ugandan government chipping in an estimated 100 million US Dollars to the overall cost.
Like neighbouring Kenya, Uganda too has finally and almost belatedly woken to the reality that new roads, highways and bridges are key to future economic and social development. The planned construction of a new Nile bridge in Jinja is due to start in 2013, eventually connecting the new widened 4 lane highway planned between Kampala and Jinja and from Jinja to the border with Kenya in Malaba and Busia. This project is also thought to be in the final planning stages. Today though all eyes will be on the new Entebbe highway project, due to be completed within about three years time at which time us locals as well as our regular visitors will be able to take a collective breath of relief.
