Nairobi Expressway: KeNHA Takes Action as Mombasa Rd Snarl-Up Worsens

Traffic on Mombasa Road in May 2021.
Traffic on Mombasa Road in May 2021.
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Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), on Sunday, June 6, directed the contractor in charge of the Ksh65 billion Nairobi Expressway to implement better traffic management system on Mombasa Road.

This is after concerns regarding increased traffic snarl-up affecting the major highway were raised by motorists.

The directive comes just a day after KeNHA Chairman Eng. Wangai Ndirangu and Director General Eng. Peter Mundinia conducted an inspection of the highway on Saturday, June 5.

The inspection was aimed at ensuring that there is smooth traffic flow along the areas affected by the construction.

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The Ksh 62 billion Nairobi Expressway under construction
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The most affected areas on the 25-kilometer stretch include General Motors, Bunyala, Capital Centre and Nyayo Stadium. To help reduce traffic, the agency directed that a diversion is put up at General Motors.

"The section around GM will have a diversion of traffic to mitigate the traffic congestion experienced along the section," confirmed the agency.

Over the recent weeks, safety concerns have been raised regarding the construction of the road whose purpose involved reducing traffic in Nairobi.

Towards the end of May, Kenyans raised concerns over dangerous debris and sparks falling from the ongoing construction of the expressway.

A video that went viral at the time showed sparks fall onto lower-decker traffic and some pedestrians on a section along Waiyaki way.

The matter was dangerous because while the upper decker is still under construction, the lower road is actively under use by both pedestrians and motor-vehicles.

A week before that, a car landed in a ditch at Nyayo Roundabout following heavy flooding in the city. The ditch that was dug at Bunyala Road which had been previously closed off by the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA).

Reports indicated that the driver could not tell the existence of the ditch due to heavy flooding that had rendered a number of roads across the city impassable.

The trench was cut across the road on Uhuru Highway.

Mombasa Road has also been experiencing severe flooding during the rainy season after a lack of proper drainage system even as the contractor races to complete the project by December 2021.

A section of the Nairobi Expressway along Mombasa Road
A section of the Nairobi Expressway along Mombasa Road
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