The Uganda National Roads Executive Director Ms. Allen Kagina has today undertaken an emergency inspection of Fortportal-Bundibugyo road following Monday’s slope failure at Km 78.
The inspection was intended to support the team on the ground and to give confidence to road users on our efforts to restore the affected area.
After her visit, it was announced that temporary reinstatement of the affected section would follow to ensure business continuity.
Cracks have emerged along Fort Portal- Bundibugyo road following a heavy downpour and landslides in Bundibugyo district on Tuesday.
The cracks developed at Bubukwanga, just about six kilometers from Bundibugyo town. The construction of Fort-Portal Bundibugyo road was completed in 2013 with funding from the African Development Bank to the tune of Shillings 147 billion.
The 79-kilometer road was constructed to ease transport and facilitate the movement of cocoa from Bundibugyo, which is the leading producer of the cash crop in the country.
Bundibugyo District Engineer Robert Muhindo says they are yet to establish the depth of the cracks, but hastens to add that the damage cannot be underestimated.
He says they have already notified Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) about the damage on the road which falls under its jurisdiction. He says the rains also destroyed six bridges along the road. They include the bridges crossing Lugo, Nyaruru, Tokwe and Kinyangende rivers.