Inbound lane of Juba Bridge in 2020 | Credit | Courtesy

The organized forces at the old Juba Bridge have been asked to enforce the ministerial order banning heavy trucks from crossing.

The order by the Roads and Bridges Minister was affected on the 31^st of October 2022, but the organized forces deployed at the bridge reportedly continue to allow heavy trucks to use the bridge.

Minister Simon Mijok had directed the truck drivers to only use the newly constructed Freedom Bridge.

The ministerial order didn’t cite the entities to implement the order.

But the Roads Authority national director, Kenyatta Warile says those assigned to the bridge must implement the order.

“The minister has already issued the order banning all the big trucks from crossing the old Juba bridge, all the big trucks are supposed to use the freedom bridge,” said Kenyatta.

“The ministerial order is enforced and is only that those who are charged with enforcing the order, and I urge them to make sure no big truck pass over the old bridge,

“It’s a risky business once you start abusing the bridge during its old age and may end in catastrophe and my appeal to those who are managing the traffic there at the bridge is to make sure that these big trucks will not cross the bridge.”

In 2019, a similar order was issued by the Minister of Roads and Bridges banning heavy trucks carrying sand and aggregate from crossing the bridge, but the order was largely disregarded.

The Juba Bridge was constructed in 1972 and it underwent some repairs in 2008.

Since then, the bridge has been undergoing repair of its outbound lane.

Until the Freedom Bridge opened last year, the Juba Bridge was the only bridge across the Nile in the whole of the South connecting the country to the East African region where most of its imports come from.