CONSTRUCTION OF KENYA’S DOUBLE DECKER HIGHWAY TO START IN SEPTEMBER

Construction works on the first double decker highway road in Nairobi is set to begin in September says Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia.

The double-decker road project is set to link Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to the Nairobi-Nakuru highway. The project has delayed for nearly a decade with the first attempt collapsing when the World Bank questioned its suitability and cut financing.

Parliament in 2008 approved the construction of a 77-km double-decker road in Nairobi under a 30-year build-operate-transfer deal that allows private firms to invest in a public project and operate it for an agreed period to recoup their investment and profit before handing it over to the State.

Construction works will take two years at an estimated cost of US $494m. The proposed elevated dual carriageway is to be built in three phases beginning with the first 6.5 km running from JKIA to Likoni Road and the Southern Bypass interchange.

A bus rapid transit (BRT) system is one of the special features of the planned highway, which will involve construction of a dedicated lane for large-capacity buses to ease congestion.

The second stretch of 12 km will connect Likoni Road to James Gichuru Road junction on Waiyaki Way in Westlands, while the last section will run from James Gichuru Road to Rironi, on the Nairobi-Nakuru highway.

Nairobi residents on average spend an hour to travel to work and another hour commuting back home due to traffic congestion on the city’s roads. CS Macharia said that motorists will have the option of using the express way to escape the heavy traffic jams at a fee or toll charges to help the private firm building the road recover its investments. However, those using the lower section of the double-decker highway will be spared the toll charges. https://constructionreviewonline.com/2019/05/construction-of-kenyas-double-decker-highway-to-start-on-september/