Kenyans were on Wednesday morning locked in a huge traffic snarl-up on the Nairobi CBD outbound lane along Waiyaki Way that disrupted transport services along the busy road that connects the Nairobi Central Business District (CBD) to Westlands.
The traffic congestion affected several sections of the highway including the University Way, Museum Hill Interchange, and the section from Chiromo to Westlands.
Videos and images obtained by Kenyans.co.ke showed several motorists stuck on the highway with some forced to seek alternative routes as the gridlock escalated.
The severe traffic congestion was occasioned by the ongoing maintenance works along the sections of the road. The repair works are said to have begun around 5:00 am on Wednesday. Some commuters spent as 30 minutes stuck in the snarl up.
However, some motorists plying the route expressed displeasure with the Kenya National Highways Authority’s (KeNHA’s) lack of prior communication about the planned works.
The gridlock consisted of a mixture of heavy commercial vehicles in transit, Public Service Vehicles (PSVs) and personal cars jam-packed along the busy road.
Meanwhile, the footage further showed the section of the road undergoing recarpeting as traffic martial controlled the traffic flow along the highway.
The road maintenance works followed uproar from motorists about the poor state of the road that they claimed occasioned several incidents of tyre bursts and minor accidents.
In one particular incident, a social media video showed a motorist parking beside the road after passing through the potholes, moments later a mechanic was seen replacing a damaged tyre.
The latest development comes weeks after KeNHA issued a warning notice to motorists about the planned road maintenance works at Haile Selassie Roundabout on Uhuru Highway Road that connects to Waiyaki Way.
KeNHA Director General Kung'u Ndung'u a notice dated November 22, 2024, announced that the maintenance works would commence from Thursday, November 28, 2024, to Friday, January 17, 2025.
'KeNHA advises motorists to follow the proposed traffic management plan, project road signs and co-operate with police and traffic marshals on site," KeNHA stated in its advisory.
