Motorists plying the Nairobi-Western Bypass have raised concerns over numerous accidents occurring on the road due to a lack of signage.
A number of drivers have hit the bumps punctuating the road, especially when driving at high speed. Such inconveniences, reports indicate, have led to a spike in the number of road accidents on the Nairobi-Western Bypass.
Motorists have now urged the government to erect signages on the busy road to prevent further tragedies - and loss of life.
"The government needs to look into this issue as many motorists are losing their lives on the road," one motorist noted.
The drivers also expressed disappointment with the contractor, China Road and Bridge Corporation, for failing to erect signage to guide road users.
Addressing the issue, a traffic police officer manning the busy road pointed out that some reckless drivers had shown open disregard to traffic rules which have led to more accidents. The officer urged motorists to be keen when using the road.
"We urge the drivers to be keen on the road as most of them don't adhere to the traffic rules. For instance, the majority tend to exceed the speed limit and this ends up costing their lives," the officer stated.
The construction of the Ksh17 billion Western Bypass has been hailed as one of the breakthrough projects launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta in a bid to improve the road network as well as reduce traffic congestion.
The road project, which began in February 2019, will link Ruaka to the Nairobi-Nakuru highway at Gitaru once complete.
However, recent reports indicate that the project has been progressing at a snail's pace. The China Road and Bridge Corporation contractors attributed this to the encroachment of the land reserved for the road by locals, relocation of power lines, and effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the project manager Eric Yu, the projected timeline for the completion of the road is end of 2022, and they are hopeful they will beat the deadline.
