36 NEW VISION, Wednesday October 7, 2015 ADVERT

UGANDA NATIONAL ROADS AUTHORITY Plot 5 Lourdel Road, Nakasero P. O. Box 28487, Kampala, Uganda

channels feeding it. Loss of livelihoods among commuting travel times for urban residents and of traffic flow improvements associated with the many informal sector actors is expected to passengers in transit and further reduce and ease the Greater Kampala Traffic Management plan cause a moderate level of apprehension though movement of goods within the entire metropolitan may be curtailed. The zero option will reduce appropriate and equitable compensation for lost zone. Their design and specification have to the functionality of the Northern bypass and livelihoods is expected to resolve such negative reflect existing infrastructure plans and general Kampala-Entebbe Expressway. impacts. urban development physical plans. The second section rolls through a peri urban Much as the Kampala Metropolitan Development 06.4 Multiple Alignment Combinations to rural landscape. Much of the expressway is Plan has a broad spectrum of transport sector Alternative in a transitional zone from typical urban to rural improvement projects, road development The rationale for multiple alignment combinations landscape. The biophysical environment shows appears to be the most viable given existing is anchored on the need to eliminate, reduce considerable degradation of especially wetlands biophysical and social economic landscape. or compensate for significant economic, and forest cover. Wetlands have been extensively The decision to take on road based alternatives environmental and social impacts at the design turned into arable land while most forests are is hence influenced by the Greater Kampala stage. Where financial costs for property remnants without any significant tree cover. Metropolitan Development Plan which aims at compensation and resettlement are deemed Arable cultivation occupies a greater percentage a single metropolitan planning area extending prohibitive, the choice for creative segmented of the country side. to parts of Mpigi, Wakiso and Mukono districts. alignment and designs becomes necessary. The proposed Kibuye-Busega-Mpigi expressway Similar approaches further apply to mitigating Details of environmental and socio-economic will complement other road improvement projects impacts on sensitive ecological and socio-cultural baseline conditions along the road are detailed in most especially the Jinja Road-Queensway landscapes. this report including flyover road which terminates at the beginning The proposed Kibuye-Busega-Mpigi Expressway • Topography point of the Kibuye-Busega-Mpigi Expressway. has been segmented into two thus: • Geology Additionally the proposed project will tie in with the • Section 1: Kibuye-Busega • Drainage and hydrology Kampala-Entebbe expressway which is already • Section 2: Busega-Mpigi. under construction. The choice therefore of road • Soils For each of the two segments, different based alternative analysis has been informed by • Climatic conditions including rainfall and alignments and designs have been proposed. temperature the current focus on an integrated road network On the Kibuye –Busega section, two alignment • Biological environment (flora, fauna) in the developing metropolitan. and design options are presented while on the • Socio-economic baseline including Busega-Mpigi section another two alignments and demographic baseline; health; land use/ 06.3 Zero Option. tenure; local infrastructure designs are analysed. The presented alternative The zero option refers to the “No Action Alternative” • Physical cultural resources analysis hence uses different combinations • Ambient air quality and noise which in essence refers to not implementing the of section options to come up with the most • Climate change scenarios proposed project at all. This alternative would optimal alternative. The table below presents a • Traffic and GHG emissions imply that the current status quo would continue. description of each of the section options. Project actions predicted in the zero alternative 06 Project Alternatives will comprises routine maintenance works and Road Align- Alignment and Design 06.1 Introduction activities aimed at preserving the current asset Section ment/ Description using recurrent expenditure. It is important to The Kibuye - Busega -Mpigi Expressway is Design note that this zero Alternative is the baseline intended to ease traffic flow within Kampala option against which all other alternatives and the and between Kampala and the southern route Kibuye- 1A A dual carriageway to be development proposal have been assessed. The to Western Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi Tanzania Busega constructed north of the existing zero option will not register any of the impacts and the DRC. Within the metropolitan section, the Kibuye-Busega highway running (both positive and negative) associated with any Expressway is aimed at reducing the staggeringly for a total distance of 10.3 km. The specific alternative or the development proposal. high travel time between different parts of the city. option if implemented will entail Assessing the other alternatives would therefore working in a very crowded corridor Such an objective can be achieved through either inadvertently provide an assessment of the zero to be created. Land acquisition individual uni-character projects or combinations option. and property expropriation shall of different individual projects that will eventually be undertaken at very high cost constitute a major development plan. Having In addition to the direct implications of retaining given the high density of multi- underscored the necessity to improve traffic flow the status quo there are certain other indirect storey commercial structures. All on the Queensway and Kibuye-Busega-Mpigi impacts, which may occur should the Zero major junctions shall be modified highway, UNRA has adopted a uni-character to suit the proposed increased alternative be followed. The zero option will entail traffic flow improvement strategy by mainly traffic volume. Since the highway continued poor road conditions perpetuating long improving roads. This however does not rule shall all be constructed at grade duration traffic hold ups, road flooding at Natete, out the existence of railway development to level, existing access roads shall frequent repairs and clogged drainage whenever complement the over stretched road sector. This be used to access the highway it rains. Such bad road carriage conditions will alternative analysis is therefore more focused on with no ramps as is required with perpetuate slow connectivity to the western region road based alternatives. elevated designs. This option and indeed eliminate all gains achieved by the 06.2 Justification for Road Based Alternatives shall further involve redesigning successful upgrading of the Kampala –Masaka - Transport sector improvement programmes drainage infrastructure along the Mbarara Highway. Further the cumulative gains entire stretch. in urban settings aim at primarily reducing