• The 16.79km road project starts at Gitaru and will link the Southern Bypass with the Northern Bypass at Ruaka.
• The China Exim Bank-funded project is the fourth and final ring road in Nairobi.
Image: Courtesy
The National Land Commission has been urged to fast-track land acquisition to allow construction of the Sh17 billion Western Bypass.
The 16.79 km road project starts at Gitaru and will link the Southern Bypass with the Northern Bypass at Ruaka. The contractor is China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC). The China Exim Bank-funded project is the fourth and final ring road in Nairobi. Some 18.5 per cent has been completed.
Nairobi Western Bypass project CRBC chief corporate affairs officer Jane Ngugi said they intend to build seven interchanges, hence the need for land acquisition and compensation.
"Most of the road corridor can be accessed by the contractor; however, interchanges take up a bit of land,” Ngugi said during a tour of the project.
Already, three-box bridges have been completed on the first-kilometre stretch Kilometre at Gitaru I and Kanyarire. Three bridges are underway. The Lower Kabete bridge is 20 per cent done while Kihara is 10 per cent.
Ngugi said all measures have been put in place to ensure safety. They include adequate signages and road markings.
Once completed, the bypass will complete the city's ring road. The construction began on March 15, 2019, and is expected to take 39 months. The other bypasses are Southern, Northern and Eastern. They are intended to reduce vehicular congestion in the Central Business District.
The government is compensating those displaced through the Kenya National Highways Authority. Ngugi identified compensation and property owners and encroachment on road reserves as the main challenges.
National Land Commission acting CEO Kabale Tache told the Star that the commission is in the process of working on compensation.
"After the gazettement, we will do valuation," she said on the phone.
Tache said the commission will have to scrutinise those to be compensated. There are about 263 landowners.
Ngugi said they will work with other agencies to remove both electricity lines and water pipes. She said residents are considered for jobs. Others supply some items and services.
There have been no NLC commissioners in place following the exit of the previous team on February 19, 2019. NLC officials have, however, been sworn in.
Most of the sections near riparian areas have been stabilised. The bypass will have 25km service roads and seven interchanges at Gitaru, Lower Kabete, Wangige, Kihara, Ndenderu, Rumingi, and Ruaka.
In April 2019, lead engineer George Amingh announced the road would be a four-way expressway. He said noise barriers would be fitted in all human settlements for an enhanced environmentally compatible highway.
There will be paved deviations to reduce dust and ensure smooth traffic flow. The deviation routes will be retained. Eleven traffic bridges and pedestrian underpasses will also be provided.
Amingh said a bus park will be put up at Wangige while bus bays will be built in existing commercial centres and settlement areas. Separate footpaths and cycle tracks will be provided to ensure there is no conflict between motorised traffic and road users.