Partnership to build bridge in Uganda also builds opportunities.

The town of Bikone, located in Kasese District of western Uganda, is a small rural community spread out along the banks of the Mubuku River. The center of the community is a small cluster of shops that acts as a market and transportation hub for the community. The people are mostly small business farmers and their families who have lived for generations along the river.

The Mubuku River rises on the slopes of Mt. Stanley (Africa’s third highest mountain) in the Rwenzori Mountains and flows easterly towards the Kibale Forest Corridor Game Reserve. As a high mountain river, the Mubuku is subject to extreme weather events, both rain, and snow, and can generate intense flash floods that come coursing down the mountain with little or no warning. With an average gradient of 13%, these flood flows move at extremely high velocities carrying large cobbles and boulders and carving a path of destruction through the canyon.

One of these events occurred in 2020. The flood destroyed every bridge for several kilometers along the river and badly damaged the vehicular bridge 2.6 kilometers (1.6 miles) downstream of Bikone. The local District of Works (transportation authority) has the capacity to repair the damaged vehicular bridge but lacks the resources to replace the other bridges destroyed in the flood.

The bridges that were destroyed were a vital social and economic link across the river. The main road along the south side of the river and a smaller footpath on the northside are the two main means of transportation up and down the canyon and the bridges linked the two. Additionally, there are churches and schools on both sides of the river generating a lot of traffic across the river. With the bridges destroyed, the people are left to hop across boulders and makeshift log bridges to cross the river. This is not safe and is deeply impacting the local economy.

After consultation with the local townspeople, District Government, and the Ministry of Works it became clear that the repair of the vehicular bridge alone would not restore the vital access across the river. A second bridge upstream would be necessary.

The proposed bridge will restore the local link across the river promoting safety and enhancing the local economy for the several hundred families that live along this stretch of the river. To build this bridge several partners came together for a common good:

• HDR – HDR is one of the world’s largest engineering companies and is employee-owned. HDR brings a wealth of bridge and river expertise to the project. In 2012 HDR established the HDR Foundation to further its mission to benefit the communities where they live and work. The HDR Foundation is providing financial support for the project.
• Raytheon Technologies – Raytheon is a global leader in aerospace sciences and technologies. Raytheon provided the high-resolution aerial photogrammetry necessary for the design, analysis, and construction of the bridge.
• Bridges to Prosperity (B2P) – B2P has extensive experience in pedestrian bridges and has completed a number of similar projects in Uganda.
• Engineers Without Borders USA – EWB-USA has an East Africa Office located in Uganda and has extensive ties with the Federal, District, and local governments.

The extensive expertise of this partnership will ensure the bridge is safe, and sustainable, and will meet the communities long into the future.

In 2022 EWB-USA undertook a climate initiative to meet with and hear about how climate change is impacting their lives. Uganda was one of a number of countries visited by our teams. They found that in Uganda, the climate is becoming more variable with short intense bursts of rain replacing the longer, steady rains of the former rainy season. This unstable weather is further affected by the orographic effects created by Mt Stanley. The result is more frequent small-to-medium flood events and larger major floods both of which sever access across the river. To meet these conditions, the Kinyuko Bridge will be a 104-meter-long pedestrian bridge that will span the entire river and keep people well away from any and all flood waters. EWB-USA Lead Engineer, Gerard Dalziel, did an initial reconnaissance of the Mubuku River and potential bridge locations. After walking a stretch of the river and talking to the people, the need for a new bridge became obvious. Boulder hopping and scrambling across their makeshift log bridge reinforced the need and lent a sense of urgency to the construction of the new bridge. The community won’t be completely safe crossing the river until the new bridge is built.

With the new bridge, the people of Bikone can breathe a collective sigh of relief. The bridge will keep them well above (3 meters) the largest floods and will restore an all-weather link between the north and south banks. Their children will be safe going to school and friends can connect without worry. Goods and services will pass over the bridge, helping restore their economy to its pre-flood vitality.