Kenya is set to sign the US $3bn deal with USA for
the construction of Nairobi-Mombasa expressway this month. US Ambassador to
Kenya Kyle McCarter announced the reports and said the deal will pave way for
construction works to begin after June.
The contract includes development of three
additional Special Economic Zones along the alignment next to strategic
interchanges which will bring additional revenue to the national and county
governments.
Bechtel, a US-based private construction
conglomerate, won the contract in a government-to-government deal that formed
part of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s discussions with President Donald Trump
during his US visit last year.
Construction of the 473-km express way will begin
at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) along the existing
Nairobi-Mombasa highway and will snake through seven Counties to end at the
Changamwe roundabout in Mombasa.
The proposed project will bypass
the capital city to branch off just past Konza and terminate onto the Nakuru
highway in Kikuyu.
Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) Director General Peter Mundinia explained
that the road will have four lanes capable of supporting sustained speeds
of up to 120 km/hour and is expected to reduce travel time between Mombasa and
Nairobi from the current 10 to four hours.
The road development which will
also run parallel to the current Nairobi-Mombasa highway and will help promote
trade and movement in Kenya and neighboring countries is expected to generate
nearly twice the funds spent to build it over a period of 25 years and will be
ready for use by 2023.
“The route will vastly improve
the connectivity, efficiency, and safety of the road between Nairobi and the
country’s main seaport of Mombasa,” said Peter Mundinia.
The expressway project is projected to create 500 jobs and will involve local businesses in supplying up to 100,000 tonnes of cement and 40,000 tonnes of steel expected to be used on the road.https://constructionreviewonline.com/2019/04/kenya-to-sign-deal-for-the-us-3bn-nairobi-mombasa-expressway-project/
