Key roads in country set for major upgrade

Massive construction work is going on at the Namanga junction along the busy Nairobi-Mombasa highway. This, according to the Government, is just the beginning of modern state-of-the-art roads in the country.

The plan is to have Kenyans enjoy the country’s first modern interchange by January next year.
It is expected that by then the wananchi will start appreciating the reason for the controversial demolition of various establishments on road reserves a few years back.
And with plans to start the rebuild Thika Road into a 10-lane super highway in September, more demolitions are anticipated. Transport experts estimate that billions of shillings will be registered as losses when properties are brought down.
Some of the establishments said to be on the way of the super highway include Nakumatt Thika Road, Maximum Miracle Centre, several petrol stations, car bazaars and entertainment spots.
The Government has already received Sh18.5 billion from the African Development Bank for the 45-kilometre project between Nairobi and Thika.

Overpass bridges

The construction will see the highway, which carries more than 70,000 vehicles per day, have all its roundabouts and traffic lights replaced with inter-links and overpass bridges.
This project provides a critical link on the Northern Corridor route to eastern and northern Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia and certainly has positive implications on regional and international trade.

The roundabouts on Uhuru Highway will also be replaced.
The interchange at the Namanga junction comprises a dual double-lane carriageway, one for use by Mombasa-bound traffic, and the other by those headed to Nairobi. Two underpasses will divert traffic entering or leaving the capital from either Namanga or Eastlands, off the usually busy Mombasa highway.

The Sh4.3 billion project being undertaken by two international road construction firms – SBI International Holdings AG Bachtrasse56 and CH-8200 Schaffhausen, will be the first of its kind in Africa and among the best in the world on completion.
The interchange is part of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to the Machakos turn-off junction road improvement to reduce congestion on Mombasa highway.
The two underpasses, to be well lit, will serve to divert the thousands of vehicles entering Nairobi from Namanga and other adjacent areas or leaving the Eastlands neighbourhoods, from the main dual carriageway.

This, experts believe, will render the heavy traffic jams on Mombasa road every day a thing of the past, saving the nation several man-hours currently lost on the roads.
The contractors are also expanding Mombasa road to a dual carriageway at the Athi River section, while at the same time, raising it to create room for the underpasses.

The underpasses will occupy about 500 metres on each side of the highway. At the centre of the oval underpass, trees and flowers will be planted to provide a green landscape, with an amphitheatre inside to give one not only a perfect, but also a safe view of the surroundings.
Two-metre high red fountains will also be erected on both sides of the dual carriageway, sandwiched between the two underpasses.
Both the dual carriageway and the two underpasses will be well-lit to enhance motorists’ visibility both during the day and night.

Add the icing

And to add the icing to the cake, three model public schools will also be put up next to the interchange, showcasing the art of modern technology. They will comprise a nursery, a primary and a secondary school.
To underscore the Government’s commitment to ensuring the projects are completed within schedule, Roads minister Kipkalya Kones has warned that the ministry will proceed with any demolitions standing in the way of the road works.
“I think people have to decide whether they want roads or they want houses built on the way of the roads,” he warned, referring to protests from private developers and business people who have seen their multi-million-shilling investments brought down to clear the way for this and many other road projects lined up for construction.

The works on the 33-kilometre JKIA to Machakos turn-off started in June 2006.
The 10.5-kilometre section between JKIA and Athi River will be upgraded to a dual carriageway to ease traffic flow, considering the heavy number of motorists moving to and from the airport every day.

A new weighbridge for cargo transit trucks will be built at Mlolongo, complete with ample parking space for the hundreds of long distance trucks waiting to be weighed.
This is designed to eliminate the traffic snarl-ups at Mlolongo trading centre largely caused by trucks waiting to be weighed before proceeding with their journeys.
A service road will also be built on either side of the dual carriageway to cater for stationary vehicles, while the dilapidated bridge at Stoney Athi is being upgraded as works on the interchange and the dual carriageway go on.

According to Ministry of Roads spokesman Richard Abura, nearly half of the workmanship on the project is complete.
The project is funded by the World Bank through the International Development Association and the Kenya Government.

In February, the then Roads and Public Works minister John Michuki toured the project and expressed satisfaction with progress made on the construction of the dual carriageway.
Mr Michuki noted that 25.3 per cent of the work had been done by then and urged the contractors to uphold the quality on the remaining sections of the highway.

The plan is part of the Northern Corridor Transport Improvement Strategy. The northern corridor serves Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo, with all the countries using it as an entry point from the port of Mombasa.
Other works in the project, the minister said, were provisions for minor drainage structures and an axle load control facility at Mlolongo.

The Government has embarked on the improvement of the corridor following perceived competition from the Central Corridor which originates from the Tanzanian port of Dar es Salaam. But the landlocked countries have kept away from the Tanzania route as it is longer than the Kenyan one.
However, following the cutting off of transport in the country during the post-election violence, some of the countries are said to have been in talks with the Tanzanian Government over the use of the corridor.

This is said to have sent the Kenyan authorities into panic mode, leading to Transport minister Chirau Ali Mwakwere touring the region in March to reassure his counterparts of the progress being made.

Major problem

The massive expansion and reconstruction of roads is aimed at reducing traffic snarl-ups that have become a norm in the city. The Government also hopes to improve the entire transportation system in the country, both for human and cargo traffic.
Traffic congestion has been a major problem for the capital, with every Local Government minister and consecutive city councils coming up with plans get rid of the snarl-ups.
It is estimated that traffic jams cost the Kenyan economy upto Sh300 million per day in wasted man-hours, wear and tear and high fuel costs.

Transport experts say that while traffic has expanded by up to 300 per cent in a decade, the roads have not. Some say that by the end of 2002, only 20 per cent of the country’s roads were in good condition. And it is taking years to overcome the backlog with about half of the network still in poor shape, six years later, while the booming economy puts even more cars on the roads. ++++++++++++++
Story by OLIVER MATHENGE and JOE KIARIE

Publication Date: 5/16/2008