Entebbe–Kampala Expressway

Not to be confused with Kampala–Entebbe Road.
Route information
Length: 33 mi (53 km)
History: Designated in 2012
Expected completion in 2016
Major junctions
South end: Entebbe International Airport
  Abayita Ababiri
Kajjansi
North end: Busega

Entebbe–Kampala Expressway, also known as the "Kampala–Entebbe Expressway" or the "Entebbe–Kampala Highway", is a four-lane toll highway under construction in the Central Region of Uganda. The highway will link Entebbe International Airport, the country's largest civilian and military airport, to Kampala, the country's capital and largest metropolitan area. Commissioning is planned for 2016.[1]

Location

The highway will start at Entebbe International Airport and continue to Abayita Ababiri, go through Akright City, Kajjansi, and Kabojja, and end at Busega, where it will join the Kampala Northern Bypass Highway, a distance of approximately 37.23 kilometres (23.13 mi). A spur will branch off the highway at Kajjansi to connect to Munyonyo, a suburb of Kampala, located on the northern shores of Lake Victoria, a distance of about 14.13 kilometres (8.78 mi). The entire highway will be a four-lane, dual carriage expressway, with limited access.[2] The coordinates of the expressway at Abayita Ababiri are 0°05'25.0"N, 32°29'35.0"E (Latitude:0.090278; Longitude:32.493056).[3]

Overview

The existing road, known as the Kampala–Entebbe Road, or simply Entebbe Road, is narrow, congested, and poorly suited to handle the heavy traffic traversing it.[4] The new expressway will be a toll-road, with vehicles that use it needing electronic billing devices.[5]

History

In 2009, the government of Uganda (GOU) began consultations with the government of China regarding the construction of a four-lane (dual-carriage) highway connecting Entebbe and Kampala. In November 2010, the two governments signed an agreement where the Chinese government, through the Exim Bank of China, would lend up to US$350 million for the construction of the highway, repayable over forty years.[6]

The contract was awarded to China Communication Construction Company, which also constructed the Soroti-Lira Road.[7] Construction began in 2012.[1]

Construction costs

The expressway was estimated in 2012 to cost US$476 million (UGX:1.19 trillion).[8] Of this, US$350 million (UGX:875 billion) is a loan from the Exim Bank of China at 2 percent annual interest.[8] The remaining US$126 million (UGX:315 billion) will be provided by GOU.[8] GOU has already, or will provide in the future, another UGX:123 billion to compensate land owners along the expressway route.[9]

Developments

On 21 November 2012, the president of Uganda commissioned the beginning of construction of the highway at a ceremony at Kyengera, along the Kampala-Masaka road.[10]

Points of interest

The following points of interest lie close or near the Entebbe–Kampala Expressway:

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Ogwang, Joel (19 June 2014). "Private company to manage Kampala- Entebbe expressway". New Vision. Kampala. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  2. ↑ Vision Reporter (10 May 2014). "Kampala-Entebbe Highway on Track, Chinese Want to Build Railway Line". New Vision. Kampala. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  3. ↑ Google (3 July 2015). "Location of Entebbe-Kampala Expressway" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  4. ↑ Nkurunziza, Andrew (10 September 2010). "Entebbe Road is a national Embarrassment". Daily Monitor Mobile. Kampala. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  5. ↑ Muhwezi, Naboth (31 March 2014). "Entebbe-Kampala Expressway: Ugandans could get a better deal". New Vision. Kampala. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  6. ↑ Ojambo, Fred (10 November 2009). "China to Build, Manage Toll Road in Ugandan Capital". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  7. ↑ Kafeero, Stephen (4 August 2012). "Planned Entebbe Highway Sparks Housing Boom". The Independent (Uganda). Archived from the original on 1 February 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 Kafeero, Stephen (4 August 2012). "Planned Entebbe highway sparks housing boom". The Independent. Kampala. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  9. ↑ Kiggundu, Edris (5 April 2015). "Entebbe–Kampala Highway: What is done so far". The Observer (Uganda). Kampala. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  10. ↑ Bwambale, Taddeo (22 November 2012). "Museveni Commissions Kampala-Entebbe Road". New Vision. Retrieved 11 May 2014.

External links

Coordinates: 00°05′25″N 32°29′35″E / 0.09028°N 32.49306°E / 0.09028; 32.49306

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