The construction of the Nairobi Expressway that is set to ease traffic in the city has entered its peak. The engineering marvel, once complete, will help ease traffic on Mombasa Road, Uhuru Highway and all through to Westlands.
The expressway, which starts from Mlolongo in Machakos County to the James Gichuru Road junction in Nairobi, will see motorists using the road pay to drive on it.
Already, China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) - the firm contracted by the Kenyan government to construct and run the road, has advertised positions for toll attendants as it gears up to completion of the project.
Kenyans.co.ke has obtained photos showing the project progress.
The Nairobi Expressway is 64 per cent complete with the contractor rushing against time to beat the set completion date with heavy construction works like excavation set to conclude by December 2021.
The new road was set to commence operations in February 2022 but the government pushed the date to June of the same year citing a few changes in the construction plan.
“Between now and December, we are likely to see all the heavy works involving deep excavation, diversions completed,” Wangai Ndirangu, the Kenya National Highways Authority Chairman, noted.
The project, once complete, is premised to boost economic growth by speeding up movement of goods and people and reducing the huge traffic congestion always experienced in the capital city.
The expressway project, which is a Public-Private Partnership (PPP), is the first Build Operate Transfer (BOT) model project in Kenya.
The project is already undergoing beautification in sections that have so far been completed.
Additionally, the expressway project cost went up by Ksh7.6 billion from the initial budget of Ksh65.2 billion.
This was indicated in the report by China Communications Construction Company(CCC), the parent company to the contracting firm.
The contractors say once the project has been completed and operationalised, it will take motorists only 20 minutes from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Embakasi to ABC Place in Westlands. On average, motorists spend between one and two hours on the same road owing to the high traffic jam.
