Gulu–Nimule Road

Gulu–Nimule Road
Route information
Length:	65 mi (105 km)
History:	Designated in 2012 Completion expected in 2015
Major junctions
South end:	Gulu
	Pabbo Atiak Bibia
North end:	Nimule
Highway system
Roads in Uganda

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.

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 and is expected to take one year.

Landmarks

The following landmarks lie close or near the Gulu-Nimule Road:

• city of Gulu in Gulu District, the largest city in Northern Uganda
• town of Pabbo, in Amuru District, approximately 39 kilometres (24 mi), north of Gulu.
• town of Atiak, in Amuru District, approximately 70 kilometres (43 mi), north of Gulu.
• town of Bibia, in Amuru District, approximately 100 kilometres (62 mi), north of Gulu. This is the last town in Uganda, before the road reaches the International border between Uganda and South Sudan at Nimule.
• town of Nimule, in Equatoria Province, South Sudan, approximately 104 kilometres (65 mi), north of Gulu.

See also

• Transport in Uganda
• List of roads in Uganda
• List of cities and towns in Uganda

External links

• Uganda National Road Authority Homepage
• Road Construction Costs Raised to US$160 Million
• Gulu-Nimule Road Summary