The engineers involved in construction of the Nairobi Expressway are racing against time to complete the construction of the Ksh 65 billion road set to reduce traffic congestion in Nairobi.
Its construction commenced in August 2020 and is set to end in December 2022.
To expedite its construction, the contractor introduced a technology which reduces the construction period of the elevated section by 50%.
"Works along the elevated section are using the fabricated bridge technology. In this technology, the main components of the upper and lower structure of the bridge are prefabricated and assembled on-site in a factory or a yard," the contractor stated.
The design of the Nairobi Expressway’s elevated section is slowly becoming visible at a site close to Nextgen Mall where the elevation of the road will start.
Steel structures cemented into the foundation of the columns that will hold the elevated section have already been constructed.
Of the 27 kilometres of the Nairobi Expressway, 11.2 kilometres will be elevated. Elevation of the road has been necessitated by the lack of sufficient space to construct four lanes running parallel to the existing section of the A8 road.
The fabricated bridge technology is viable for a number of reasons;
1. It reduces the construction period by 50%.
2. Standardization of the structures helps to control the quality of construction.
3. The method significantly reduces risk factors and improves safety.
4. It is environmentally friendly due to lower carbon emissions during construction.
5. It significantly reduces the disruption that is caused along the existing A8 highway.
The road will start at Mlolongo and will pass outside Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) through Nairobi Central Business District to join Waiyaki Way in Westlands.
Over 25,000 motorists using the road will part with a Ksh 300 toll fee each everyday.
It will have 10 interchanges at the SGR interchange, the JKIA interchange, Eastern bypass, Capital Center, Haile Selassie, Thika road interchange, Westland's interchange and James Gichuru.
