A section of Waiyaki Way in Nairobi County is set to be closed. The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) made the announcement and said the road will be closed for 34 days to pave way for the construction of the Nairobi Expressway.
The ramp that links Waiyaki Way to Forest Road shall be temporarily closed for 34 days beginning Monday, June 28, 2021, till Sunday, August 1, 2021. The Capital Centre access located along Mombasa Road will also be temporarily closed beginning Monday, June 28, 2021 till Saturday, July 17, 2021.
KeNHA’s road closures prompt motorists to identify alternative routes to avoid traffic jams. 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.
PPP model project
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 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.
