Outering Road residents want roofed footbridges

City residents along Outering road want footbridges roofed to protect them from harsh weather.

Residents said the new bridges do not have roof covers, leaving them to be rained on.

"The roofs should be covered like the ones on Thika Superhighway to shelter the pedestrians when they are using the bridges," said Thomas Otieno, a Tena resident.

The residents also want the footbridges installed with security lights for safety, especially at night.

"The bridge was recently opened but at night it becomes risky because the places are dark with no lights and might attract muggers," said Sophia Njeri, Umoja resident.

Kenya Urban Roads Authority communication officer John Cheboi said the roofs will be placed in the final design of the footbridges.

"If you look at the design, the roofs are curved joining the rails on the sides. After we complete all the 11 footbridges we shall cover the roofs, just be patient," he explained.

Cheboi said the footbridges were built urgently and it would have taken longer if they built them and fixed the roofs at the same time.

Already, the authority has set up five footbridges and has laid the foundation for another near Manyanja road.

The 13-kilometre stretch is meant to have 11 footbridges.

Last year's accidents statistics report from the National Transportation and Safety Authority showed Outer Ring was among top three Nairobi's deadliest roads.

This stirred up a public outcry about the accidents and urged the road authority to move with speed to set up footbridges.