The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has set up diversions to ease Mombasa Road traffic snarl-up caused by the Nairobi Expressway project.
The snarl-up is mainly occasioned by the road constructions, and especially the erection of a 25km Expressway linking the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to the Central Business District (CBD) and Westlands. The most affected sections are General Motors, Bunyala, Capital Centre, and the Nyayo Stadium roundabout. The authority’s Chairman Eng. Wangai Ndirangu confirmed the report and said that the project contractor has created a diversion at the General Motors (GM) section.
“The section around GM will have a diversion of traffic to mitigate the traffic congestion experienced along the section,” said Eng. Ndirangu.
Already, there have been traffic snarl-ups on Mombasa Road, Uhuru Highway, and Waiyaki Way caused by the construction of the Nairobi Expressway, with motorists using either the Industrial Area, Jogoo Road, or South B as alternative routes into and out of town.
Nairobi Expressway project
Construction works on the Nairobi Expressway project are at advance stages. It is a 27-kilometer road project beginning from Mlolongo through the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and Nairobi’s CBD to Westland’s area along Waiyaki Way. The project involves a four-lane and six-lane dual carriageway within the existing median of Mombasa Road/Uhuru Highway/Waiyaki Way and 10 interchanges.
The project broke grounds in October last year with China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) as the contractor. The latter is responsible for the design, financing, and construction of the road under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) framework. The company will also operate the road for about 27 years so as to recoup its investment through the collection of road tolls.
The contractor has installed over 69 pillars and earthworks along the stretch. A section of the road from Mlolongo all the way to NextGen Mall, a distance of 18.2 kilometres and which is ongoing, will be a flatbed road, while the section from Nextgen Mall through the City-Centre to St Marks church, covering 8.2 kilometres, will be elevated.
The road project is the first major project in the East African country to be carried out through a PPP model. It was initially to be completed December 2022 but has now been moved to December 2021 bringing the much-needed relief to traffic congestion in the Nairobi municipality.
