South end: Gulu Length 104.6 km | North end: Nimule | |
History: Designated in 2012
Completion expected in 2015 | ||
Gulu–Nimule Road is a road in the Northern Region of Uganda, connecting the city of Gulu in Gulu District and the town of Nimule in Eastern Equatoria State in South Sudan, just north of the international border between the two countries. The road, known as Highway A104 in Uganda, continues into South Sudan as Highway A43.
Contents
Map of Gulu - Nimule Rd
Location
The Gulu–Nimule Road starts at Gulu and continues north, through Pabbo, Atiak, and Bibia before ending in Nimule at the border between Uganda and South Sudan, a distance of approximately 105 kilometres (65 mi). The coordinates of the road near Atiak in Amuru District are 3°17'02.0"N, 32°07'04.0"E (Longitude:3.283889; Latitude:32.117778).
Overview
The Gulu–Nimule Road was a gravel-surfaced, two-lane road. It is a major route of transportation between Uganda and South Sudan. During the rainy season, the road became impassable, as was the case in 2008 when rains closed it for a week. In March 2009, the World Bank agreed to fund the engineering design of the improved road to an all-weather tarmac surface. Vice Consulting Engineers, a South African firm, was awarded the contract to design the road at a cost of US$800,000. The government of Japan, through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and the World Bank will provide the loans to fund the construction, expected to cost US$102 million.
Construct timeline
After several delays, the contract for the Gulu–Atiak section, measuring 70 kilometres (43 mi), was awarded to China Henan International Corporation, a Chinese construction Group that has successfully completed civil engineering projects in various African countries, including: Guinea, Liberia, Namibia, Rwanda and Tanzania. The costs for this section of the road will be met by the Government of Uganda and the World Bank. Construction began in May 2012 and is expected to last two years. The remaining section of the road, between Atiak and Nimule, measuring 35 kilometres (22 mi), will be funded by the Government of Japan. That contract was awarded to China Railway Wuju Group Corporation, a division of China Railway Engineering Corporation. Construction of that section was commissioned in August 2013. Completion is expected in May 2016.
Landmarks
The following landmarks lie close or near the Gulu–Nimule Road: