The Kampala flyover project begins to take shape.

The Kampala flyover project is coming together, with some sections of the project nearly completed.

The 3.2-kilometer project, which began last year, includes the construction of a modern (clock tower) flyover, a four-lane Nsambya underpass, a clock tower square, three pedestrian bridges, part-expansion of Nsambya, Kibuli, Mukwano, and Ben Kiwanuka roads, and drainage system upgrades around the clock tower.

Lot One of the 3.2-kilometer project was contracted to Shimizu Konoike JV. Lot One stretches from the clock tower to Mukwano road, passing via Nsambya intersection.

The contractor has already raised the overpass piles and pillars from the clock tower to the Total petrol station, which is a few meters away from the Nsambya traffic junction.

At the clock tower, Nsambya junction, and the former Posta Uganda, the contractor has also excavated and installed slabs for three box culverts.

The contractor has cast concrete for the drainage channel walls that span Nsambya road, as well as excavated the Nsambya underpass box culvert.

Although the works were initially delayed due to the COVID-19 lockdown, which hampered the movement of expatriates and consultants from Japan, Allan Kyobe Ssempebwa, the Uganda National Roads Authority’s Public Relations Officer, says the contractor is now progressing well and is expected to finish by the end of 2022.

Lot Two, the project’s second phase, is expected to begin as soon as Lot One is completed. Lot Two will run from Kitgum House to Centenary Park, passing via the electoral commission.

According to Kyobe, they are still looking for right of way along the project path, but UNRA has made progress in obtaining land from landowners. UNRA will begin the procurement process soon, he says, and hopes to hand over the project after obtaining right of way.

However, traffic flow near the clock tower area, where part of Queens Way has shrunk, has been hampered by the renovation.

According to Deus Kagame of Namasuba Zana at the Shoprite stage, the construction has hampered traffic flow, with vehicles becoming stranded at times.

Another taxi driver, known only as Kaye Original, says that while the development appears to be a good idea, some of his colleagues are unsure how it will assist passengers who travel from Shoprite to Entebbe Road.

He’s also concerned about the road’s apparent slow construction speed, which has hampered their work.

 

Isa Kazibwe, a taxi driver, claims that the development has exacerbated traffic congestion in the area, delaying taxis on the road and disrupting passenger loading timetables. He is optimistic, however, that after the construction is completed, the situation will improve and the traffic flow on the road will improve.

The Ugandan government and the Japanese government, through the Japan International Cooperation Agency-JICA, are funding the initiative. When the project is completed, it is planned to enhance traffic flow on the roadways and the drainage system surrounding the clock tower, which has historically been a black halt for Kampala floods.