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Unra, ensure that roads are passable this rainy season
A section of the Northern Bypass under construction at Lubigi on February 24, 2019. The completion of the second phase of the road has been extended several times
The rain preceding the wet season, has started, bringing with them sighs of relief in different parts of the country. Temperatures have cooled from the high 30s to the mid to low 20s in degrees Centigrade. The dust that had caused havoc for homes and businesses close to murram roads has been tamed.
As reported in the story, ‘Brace for rainy season, weather experts warn’ in the Daily Monitor of February 25, the looming rainy season will be characterised by thunder and hailstorms. The forecast done by Uganda National Meteorological Authority stated: “Overall, there is an increased likelihood of near normal with slight tendency to above normal rainfall…”
Some of the major problems motorists face when the rains come are nasty traffic jams, navigating roads that flood, as well as those that become slippery or impassable costing people time and money.
During wet seasons, news outlets are usually awash with stories and pictures of long lines of vehicles held in traffic, bridges flooded or swept away and cars stuck in ditches on murram roads.
Last year in December, there was a story reported in Daily Monitor titled ‘KCCA moves to construct channels to curb floods’, in which the city authority stated it had plans to construct three drainage channels to lessen the problems that come with perennial flooding.
The channels included Lubigi and Nakamiro in Kawempe Division, and Nalukolongo in Rubaga Division. The authority, however, is yet to compensate those affected before works can begin.
As far as slippery and impassable roads are concerned, one would hope that the murram feeder roads Uganda National Roads Authority is working on are near completion because the mess created once the rain come before the roads are done is hard to describe.
Having to spend hours, or even days in the far-flung parts of the country to look for a truck to get one’s car out of the ditch is a difficult experience, worse still if the car has been damaged.
With just a few days to March, it is many people’s hope that Uganda National Roads Authority and the traffic police, will have good plans up their sleeves to ensure that roads are passable and that the traffic will not cause motorists a headache.
The gridlocks, muddy, and impassable roads have been happening for years now. It is time these institutions came up with plans to manage them.
