CS Macharia: Nairobi Expressway 75% complete, old roads to be reopened by Christmas

City motorists can breathe a sigh of relief after the Government announced it will reopen the old Waiyaki-Uhuru Highway -Mombasa road affected by the Nairobi Expressway by December 25, 2021.

Cabinet Secretary for Transport and Roads James Macharia Sunday said that the old road will be in a better state once it is fully reopened for use next month.

He highlighted the contractors are currently done with piling and they are setting up the beams which will be done by mid-November to enable the old road to be reopened by December.

“We will not just open the old way but it involves restoring and enhancing the old road. It has been mostly damaged because of the heavy equipment which is being used for construction. But worry not as we shall leave it in a better condition than we found it,” Macharia added.

The CS was speaking during an inspection tour of the expressway where he said it was 75 per cent done.

Various closed sections have already been reopened to the public as the Expressway project nears completion.

The Westlands -James Gichuru section which had been closed was opened last Friday while closed sections between Mlolongo and JKIA have already been reopened to ease the current traffic situation.

Haile Selassie–University Way Roundabout is set to be reopened on December 15, 2021, once construction works are done.

The 27-kilometre expressway is being built by China Road and Bridge Corporation at a cost of Sh62 billion and once complete will be a four-lane and six-lane dual carriageway within the existing median of Mombasa Road/Uhuru Highway/Waiyaki Way and 10 interchanges.

Kenyans will pay toll fees to use the road running from Mlolongo on Mombasa Road to the James Gichuru Junction in Westlands.

Motorists will be expected to pay between Sh100 and Sh1,550 in toll charges, depending on the size of the vehicle and the distance covered.

The project was a purely Public-Private Partnership with no debt incurred by the government.

The Nairobi Expressway will be a four-lane and six-lane dual carriageway within the existing median of Mombasa Road/Uhuru Highway/Waiyaki Way and 10 interchanges.

Going further, CS Macharia said trees that were cut to pave way for the construction will be planted once major road works are done, as it is within the contract.

“At the moment, we cannot start planting trees because they will be damaged as major works are still ongoing. But it is within the contract given to the contractor that the trees which were cut will be replaced and will be even more in number,” he added.

The main expressway will be opened next year in March after completing the supporting infrastructure which includes lighting and the tolling stations.

Macharia added that the ministry will start conducting test runs along the Nairobi Expressway next year March after which President Uhuru Kenyatta is expected to commission it in April.

The section between the Eastern and Southern bypasses will be a six-lane dual carriageway while the section from to the Eastern Bypass and that from the Southern Bypass to James Gichuru will be a four-lane dual carriageway.

Edited by D Tarus