Source of the Nile Bridge

The bridge is located at Jinja city ( the second capital of Uganda after Kampala) across the Victoria Nile, between the source of the Nile to the south and Nalubaale Power Station (old bridge) to the north. This is adjacent and immediately north of where the Uganda Railways line crosses the Victoria Nile. It is located on the proposed Kampala–Jinja Expressway, approximately {{convert|77.5|km|0}}, by road, east of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city.{{google maps|url=https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Kampala+Road,+Kampala/Jinja+Nile+Bridge,+Kyabazinga+Highway,+Jinja/@0.3506184,32.8647409,10.25z/data=!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x177db905c213a709:0x65794ed5c349e23e!2m2!1d32.5809105!2d0.3133012!1m5!1m1!1s0x177e7c716dfdf7a5:0x7f7b2c01f119bee3!2m2!1d33.1881469!2d0.4386546!3e0 |title=Road Distance Between Kampala Road, Kampala, Uganda And Jinja Nile Bridge, Uganda |access-date=10 September 2022}} The coordinates of the New Jinja Bridge are 0°26'19.0"N, 33°11'15.0"E (Latitude:0.438611; Longitude:33.187500).{{google maps|

url=https://www.google.com/maps/place/0%C2%B026'19.0%22N+33%C2%B011'15.0%22E/@0.4386111,33.1875,196m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xa13d3d05825221f3!8m2!3d0.4386111!4d33.1875 |title=Location of New Jinja Bridge, Njeru, Uganda |access-date=10 September 2022}}

Prior to the construction of this bridge, the Nalubaale Bridge was one of only two road crossings across the Victoria Nile in Uganda, the other crossing being the Karuma Bridge, approximately {{convert|330|km|0}}, by road, to the north.{{google maps|

url=https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Jinja+Nile+Bridge,+Kyabazinga+Highway,+Jinja/New+Karuma+Bridge,+Karuma+Village/@1.3334934,32.9731248,7z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x177e7c716dfdf7a5:0x7f7b2c01f119bee3!2m2!1d33.1881469!2d0.4386546!1m5!1m1!1s0x177064f3aa8b9e4d:0x7d224648da78240e!2m2!1d32.2397865!2d2.2430124!3e0 |

title=Road Distance Between Jinja Nile Bridge And New Karuma Bridge |access-date=10 September 2022}} The road crossing at Jinja is of national and regional significance because it is part of the "Northern Corridor", a highway across east and central Africa linking the Indian Ocean at Mombasa, Kenya, to the Atlantic Ocean at Matadi, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The old bridge, commissioned in 1954, is in bad structural shape and has outlived its expected lifespan.{{cite web|first=Tadeo |last=Bwambale | url=http://allafrica.com/stories/201011011343.html | title=Japan Gives Sh230 Billion for New Jinja Bridge | date=1 November 2010 | accessdate=15 April 2014 | newspaper=New Vision via AllAfrica.com}} The new bridge carries a four-lane dual highway with pedestrian sidewalks. It is the longest bridge in Uganda at {{convert|525|m|ft}} long and {{convert|22.9|m|ft}} wide.{{cite web | first=Pauline | last=Kairu | title=Uganda To Build First Cable-Stayed Bridge In East Africa | access-date=15 April 2014 | newspaper=Daily Monitor |date=29 October 2010 | url=http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1042614/-/clu94qz/-/index.html |location=Kampala}} The feasibility studies were conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.{{cite web | first=Joel | last=Ogwang | title=New Sh200 Billion Nile Bridge For 2012 |access-date=17 October 2018 | url=http://allafrica.com/stories/200909180824.html |date=17 September 2009 |newspaper=New Vision via AllAfrica.com}}

In November 2013, the Uganda National Roads Authority awarded the construction contract to the [http://www.zenitaka.co.jp/english/works3.html Zenitaka Corporation] of Japan and Hyundai Engineering and Construction Company of South Korea.{{cite web|access-date=30 September 2018 | url=https://observer.ug/news/headlines/58794-new-nile-bridge-passes-static-road-test |title=New Nile Bridge Passes Static Road Test |date=29 September 2018 |newspaper=The Observer (Uganda) Quoting Uganda Radio Network |author=Uganda Radio Network | location=Kampala}} Construction was expected to last four years.{{cite web |first=Joel |last=Ogwang |location=Kampala |title=Construction of New Nile Bridge Starts January 2014 | newspaper=New Vision | date=26 November 2013 | url=http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/649843-construction-of-new-nile-bridge-starts-january-2014.html |access-date=30 September 2018}}{{cite web | first=Richard | last=Wanambwa | title=New Nile Bridge Contract Signed, 52 People Compensated | url=http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/New-Nile-bridge-contract-signed--52-people-compensated-/-/688334/2089748/-/k4sohp/-/index.html | date=27 November 2013 |access-date=15 April 2014}}{{cite web | title=Japanese To Start In January On Bridge |location=Kampala | url=http://allafrica.com/stories/201312110150.html | date=10 December 2013 | accessdate=15 April 2014 |newspaper=East African Business Week via AllAfrica.com}} On 28 January 2014, the construction was launched by the President of Uganda.{{cite web | first=Emmanuel | last=Luganda | title=Museveni To Launch New Nile Bridge Construction |newspaper=New Vision | url=http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/651883-museveni-to-launch-new-nile-bridge-construction.html |date=28 January 2014 |access-date=15 April 2014}}

As of August 2017, the construction was 40 percent complete, according to the bridge contractors, as reported by The Observer (Uganda).{{cite web| url=http://allafrica.com/stories/201708040082.html | title=Uganda: Jinja Bridge 40 Percent Complete |accessdate=8 August 2017 |date=4 August 2017 | newspaper=The Observer (Uganda) | first=Jonathan | last=Kamoga| location=Kampala}} During an inspection tour of the construction site by the Japanese ambassador to Uganda, the contractors revealed that they had started using steel from an unnamed Ugandan manufacturer, after the product met the contractors' standards.

Other infrastructure developments associated with the new bridge, include a “roadside station” or service centre on the Jinja side, which will host a restaurant, supermarket, public toilets, and an exhibition area. The station will also accommodate a chamber for bridge maintenance, security and an emergency response unit.{{cite web|title=Jinja bridge to be completed by June |url=http://www.monitor.co.ug/SpecialReports/Jinja-bridge-completed-June-Nalubaale-dam/688342-4240160-1p9idfz/index.html | accessdate=4 May 2018 |date=24 December 2017 |first=Frederic | last=Musisi |newspaper=Daily Monitor |location=Kampala}} The development also calls for surface roads on the Njeru side to connect to the Nyenga-Njeru Road, the proposed Kampala–Jinja Expressway, the existing Kampala–Jinja Highway, and the Mukono–Kayunga–Njeru Road. Road connections to the town of Jinja will be constructed, east of the road service centre.{{cite web|publisher=NHillFilms.com | url=http://www.nhillfilms.com/article/new-nile-bridge-changing-jinjas-skyline |title=New Nile Bridge Changing Jinja's Skyline |accessdate=4 May 2018 |date=15 March 2018 | author=Administrator}}

The bridge was commissioned on 17 October 2018 by the President of Uganda Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to national acclaim. The president did caution though that the bridge is to be traversed by vehicular and pedestrian traffic only and is out of bounds to cyclists locally known as "bodabodas" which include bicycles and motorcycles which were advised to use the old Nalubale Bridge.{{cite web|date=17 October 2018 |access-date=21 October 2018 |title=Museveni Commissions Source Of The Nile Bridge, Hails Japan-Uganda Relations |publisher=Kampala Post |author=Kampala Post | url=https://kampalapost.com/index.php/content/news/museveni-commissions-source-nile-bridge-hails-japan-uganda-relations}}

The total cost of the New Jinja Bridge was budgeted at US$125 million. The government of Japan will finance 80 percent of the cost, in the form of a soft loan of US$100 million at an annual interest rate of 0.01 percent, repayable in ten years but extendable to forty years. The government of Uganda will fund the remaining US$25 million (20 percent), out of its own coffers.{{cite web | first=Wolfgang| last=Thome| date=26 January 2014 |url=http://www.eturbonews.com/42135/safer-and-faster-ground-travel-across-nile | title=Safer And Faster Ground Travel Across The Nile | publisher=Eturbonews.com | accessdate=15 April 2014}}

In March 2018, the Ugandan parliament authorized a supplementary loan from JICA, amounting to JPY:3.891 billion (UShs 133 billion or US$36.721), to complete this project.{{cite web|access-date=17 March 2018 | url=https://allafrica.com/stories/201803160111.html | title=Uganda: Sh459 Billion Approved for New Nile Bridge, Electricity Power Line |date=15 March 2018 |location=Kampala | newspaper=The Independent (Uganda) via AllAfrica.com}} The bridge was completed and officially commissioned on 17 October 2018. The cost of construction was quoted at US$112 million (approximately USh41.1 billion) and the bridge has a projected lifespan of 120 years.{{cite web|first=Moses | url=https://www.newvision.co.ug/new_vision/news/1487771/nile-bridge-fifth-africa |title=New Nile Bridge is fifth longest of its kind in Africa |access-date=16 October 2018 |last=Walubiri |

date=16 October 2018 |newspaper=New Vision | location=Kampala}}

• List of roads in Uganda
• New Karuma Bridge

{{reflist}}

{{commons category|Source of the Nile Bridge}}

• [https://www.google.com/search?q=new+jinja+bridge&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS814US814&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiC98XBnOPdAhUJP60KHcKbAFEQ_AUIECgD&biw=780&bih=358 Photo Montage of New Nile Bridge at Google.com]
• [http://www.aircargonews.net/news/single-view/news/emirates-bridges-the-gap-for-uganda.html?Continue=1 Emirates bridges the gap for Uganda]
• [http://www.worldhighways.com/sections/emergent/features/new-bridge-over-nile-will-help-landlocked-uganda New Bridge Over River Nile Will Help Landlocked Uganda]
• [http://www.observer.ug/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10769:japan-finances-new-nile-bridge&catid=38:business&Itemid=68 Names of Ugandan Projects Where Japan Is The Developmental Partner]
• [http://lesaspin2010.blogspot.com/2011/04/japan-to-fund-new-jinja-bridge.html Overview of New Jinja Bridge]
• [http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/New-Nile-bridge-course-Unra/-/688334/3157886/-/866308z/-/index.html New Nile bridge on course - UNRA]

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{{Buikwe District}}

{{Jinja District}}

Category:Bridges over the Nile

Category:Bridges in Uganda

Category:Bridges completed in 2018

Category:Jinja District

Category:Buikwe District

Category:Cable-stayed bridges

Category:2018 establishments in Uganda

Category:Jinja, Uganda