Update 4:54 pm: KeNHA issued a traffic update on the snarl-up along the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway. Motorists were notified that traffic flow in Gilgil has resumed albeit slowly.
Motorists were still advised to avoid overlapping and exercise patience until normal flow resumes.
The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has alerted travellers planning to use the Nairobi-Nakuru highway to use diversions created to curb the traffic snarl-up that forced motorists to spend over 10 hours on the road.
In a statement on Saturday, September 3, KeNHA directed motorists to use the Flyover-Njabini-Olkalou-Lanet and Naivasha-Olkalou-Lanet routes.
Further, the highway authority ordered trucks to delay their travels until the situation eases at Gilgil.
KeNHA had notified the public that a section of the Northern Corridor, between Naivasha and Nakuru was experiencing congestion due to a traffic incident near the rail over road bridge between Gilgil turn-off and the weighbridge.
Police were deployed to man the situation and restore normalcy. Motorists were advised to exercise lane discipline and avoid overlapping.
In an earlier directive, the authority notified the public that a section of the Northern Corridor, between Naivasha and Nakuru experienced congestion due to a traffic incident near the rail over road bridge between Gilgil turn-off and the weighbridge.
"Police are currently on site and working on the situation to restore normalcy. Motorists are advised to exercise lane discipline as they approach this section in order to avoid further congestion," KeNHA's stated.
Motorists were stuck in the snarl-up from 7 pm on Friday, September 2 up to 9 am Saturday morning.
Road users reprimanded the trucks using the weighbridge and called on the police and road authorities to intervene.
"We have slept on the road from 8 pm Nairobi to Gilgil (currently). No movement and we do not have an idea of what’s causing the gridlock," one Lilian Oranga lamented on her social media pages.
Others urged the government to expand the highway mostly used by motorists travelling to Western Kenya.
"Western Kenya has been neglected since independence. Instead of using billions to construct the Expressway, President Uhuru Kenyatta should have built a superhighway on Nairobi-Mahi Mahiu/Nakuru roads to unlock the ever gridlock.
"Motorists suffer daily but nobody seems to care," Nyamu Dickson complained.
