For the next three months ffective Monday, September 23, General Katumba said there will be no traffic of any kind allowed over the bridge to enable major refurbishment works.
The Minister of Works and Transport, Edward Katumba Wamala, has announced the closure of Karuma Bridge to all traffic.
The bridge, a major gateway to northern Uganda and West Nile and the neighbouring countries in those regions, was partially closed to buses and trailers in May.
However, effective Monday, September 23, General Katumba said there will be no traffic of any kind allowed over the bridge to enable major refurbishment works.
"The contractor will immediately start the demolition of the concrete deck to allow major works for its restoration," the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) said.
UNRA spokesperson Allan Ssempebwa said the exercise is expected to last three months,
Mr Ssempebwa said motorists will be diverted through three routes with those from Kampala heading to Gulu/West Nile using the Luweero--Kafu--Masindi--Paraa (Murchison Falls National Park) to connect to Pakwach or Gulu via Olwiyo and the vice versa.
Motorists heading to Lira have been urged to use the Rwenkunye--Apac route via Masindi Port Ferry, while those travelling to Lira can also use Iganga--Nakalama --Tirinyi--Pallisa--Kumi--Soroti--Lira road.
On May 6, the government re-redirected traffic flow at the Karuma Bridge crossing after engineers identified defects on the 61-year-old major infrastructure that they said needed urgent intervention.
The bridge, vital for connecting Kampala to northern Uganda, West Nile, DR Congo via Goli and South Sudan, was closed to all lorries, trailers and buses for three months.
"Only passenger vehicles carrying up to 28 persons will be allowed to use the bridge," UNRA said at the time.
"We anticipate that this intervention will be completed in three months."
The Karuma Falls Bridge was constructed in 1963 to help the cotton farmers in northern Uganda to cross the river.
It is a narrow, single carriageway bridge without pedestrian or bicycle lanes and no monitoring equipment, leaving it prone to major accidents.
The diversion of traffic through Uganda's biggest national park that sprawls 3,840 square kilometres had sent chills down the spines of animal conservationists, who said huge traffic would scare wildlife.
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UNRA said the alternative route is fully paved and involves a shorter distance of about 20km of travel through the Murchison Falls National Park, significantly reducing the impact on wildlife movement and behaviour.
The Luweero-Kafu through Masindi and Paraa route that is now limited to buses and lighter vehicles that chose to pay park fees covers over 70km of paved road.
"This is further intended to protect and conserve Uganda's rich wildlife heritage by significantly cutting down on the inconvenience, distress and disturbance to wildlife," Mr Ssempebwa said at the time.
The government plans to construct a cable bridge similar to the New River Nile Bridge in Jinja City to replace Karuma.
But that is a long-term dream. Instead, for now, restoration of the battered bridge is all the country can afford to do with.
