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Kenyan roads authority to reopen parts of major highway to ease traffic

Tuesday August 31 2021
Nairobi Expressway

Road construction work of the Nairobi Expressway project on Mombasa Road win Kenya's capital Nairobi. PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE | NMG

By AMINA WAKO

The Kenya National Highways Authority (Kenha) has announced the reopening of some parts of Mombasa Road to ease traffic in the capital, following complaints from road users.

The move comes days after road users on Mombasa Road spent hours stuck in traffic, as some sections have been closed to enable construction of the Nairobi Expressway. 

Through a public notice released on Monday, Kenha said it has established a multi-agency team to help control the traffic.

“This will include ensuring that construction sites have adequate and well-signposted lanes, rapid intervention in case of an accident and well-defined U-turns points,” Kenha said.

The JKIA-Mlolongo section will be reopened on September 10, 2021.

The Westlands-James Gichuru section will be reopened on September 30 while the Haile Selassie-UoN roundabout will be reopened on October 15, 2021.

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The agency further noted that the elevated sections are about 71.6 per cent complete.

Construction of the Ksh59 billion ($537 million) Nairobi Expressway started last year and has come at a cost for businesses and residents along Mombasa Road, with motorists enduring traffic snarl-ups.

On completion, the road will stretch 27km across Nairobi and it is meant to ease traffic flows in and out of the centre of the city.

China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) is building the highway, whose construction is funded by a private company. Moja Expressway, a subsidiary of CRBC, will operate the road for 27 years to recoup funds through toll fees.

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