The government has warned heavy truck drivers against using the Juba Bridge because it is about to collapse.
Juba Bridge was constructed in 1972 and it underwent some repairs in 2008.
It stands as the only bridge across the Nile in all South Sudan, at least until the completion of the Freedom Bridge.
Juba Bridge was re-opened in January 2012 to full capacity after major repair works following an accident in 2010 which left one lane of the bridge unusable for heavy vehicles.
Shortly after independence, President Salva Kiir made the repair of the Bridges as one of his government’s priorities during the administration’s first 100 days.
However, the minister of information – Michael Makuei – now says the bridge is at the verge of collapsing.
“Our Juba bridge here is likely to collapse, and heavily loaded trucks should not be allowed to use that bridge. It seems that nobody is respecting the rules of the road. No heavy trucks which are overloaded or loaded to certain weight should be allowed to cross unless they reduce the weight then they can cross.”
However, Makuei did not mention when the government is going to repair the bridge.