The Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) has begun upgrading the Kisii Bypass Phase II project, which will connect the counties of Kisii and Nyamira.
According to Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo, the government agency is upgrading the 14.62 km road linking Kegati town in Kisii County and Omogonchoro town in Nyamira County from an earth road to a bitumen road.
"The Government, through the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA), is upgrading the Kisii By-Pass Phase II as part of its continued investment in road infrastructure to open up the country and spur economic growth," Omollo stated.
"The 14.62km road, which links Kegati (Kisii) and Omogonchoro (Nyamira), is being transformed from earth to bitumen standards," he added.
In addition to easing traffic flow and connectivity between the two counties, Omollo affirmed that the road will play a vital role in unlocking the economic potential of the two counties, especially through trade and agriculture.
"The by-pass will significantly ease traffic flow within Kisii town, strengthen connectivity between Kisii and Nyamira counties and boost trade, agriculture and access to essential social amenities such as schools, hospitals and markets," he stated.
Expanding Four Major Highways
The announcement comes just a day after the government revealed that it is in the process of expanding four major highways across the country, alongside the construction of up to 13 footbridges.
The plan was published in a gazette notice on Tuesday, September 16, by the Ministry of Transport under the National Road Safety Action Plan, and is expected to be executed within a 5-year timeline.
Within this period, the ministry stated that it will dual the Kwa Jomvu-Mariakani road, capacity enhancement of the Nyali-Mtwapa-Kilifi road, and upgrading of the Kitale-Morpus along the Kenya-South Sudan Link Road.
The ministry further stated that it will soon begin the expansion of the Rironi-Mau Summit road, which connects Nairobi to Nakuru.
Furthermore, the ministry stated that it will construct 13 footbridges with pedestrian fencing along the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) route situated on Nairobi's Outer Ring Road.
According to the ministry, the infrastructure upgrade was part of the government's long-term strategy to curb the prevalent road crashes.
"Existing roads have been placed under performance contracting maintenance to attend to routine maintenance needs, including road signage, high-visibility lane markings, safety fences," the ministry stated.
