Weight and speed limits for new Juba Bridge
Officially opening Juba's new bridge on 6 October, First Vice-President of Sudan and the President of Southern Sudan (GoSS) Salva Kiir said it would greatly assist people in marketing their goods across the country.
He urged people in the region to build more bridges because "this one is not enough for us". The GoSS President added that every southerner was responsible for protecting the 256 metre-long bridge. "The protection of this bridge is our joint responsibility."
Acting Minister for Transport and Roads Martin Okerruk said the bridge would open a big gateway to east Africa and the rest of the world. It would increase the supply of goods reaching Juba as well as the rest of Southern Sudan. "We have been impeded in our capacity by the number of bridges we have," he said.
Recalling the bridge's history, Mr. Kiir noted that the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) had tried and failed to destroy the bridge in 1988. The SPLA tried again in 1992 to destroy it, but used insufficient explosives and were only able to inflict minor damage.
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"We wanted to destroy it because it was used for bring more troops from the north to come and suppress the people of the south," Mr. Kiir said.
Juba's original bridge, built by Dutch construction company Mabey and Johnson in 1974, had deteriorated due to heavy use and lack of control over allowed weight. After assessing the bridge in January 2006, the Dutch company reported that its support pillars were strong, but that the deck should be replaced.
Juba Bridge after renovation
Sudken International, a locally registered Southern Sudanese company, was contracted to replace the bridge deck in August 2006. However, it was unable to transport the deck from Mombasa, Kenya, to Juba until August last year, due to a delay in funding from the Ministry of Finance. Total cost of the bridge replacement came to $5.8 million.
In May this year, Mundri Bridge was opened as the only bridge connecting Juba to states in northern and western regions of the country. Next year the government plans to construct two major bridges across the Nile - in Juba south of the present one and another at Pariak near Bor.
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