NAIROBI, Kenya, May, 15 – At 27 kilometers long, the Nairobi Expressway has been described as an infrastructure project that is second to none within the African continent and one that is expected to once and for all end the capital city’s ‘demoralizing’ traffic jams.
On Saturday Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia officially gave motorists the green light to use the expressway on a ‘test run’ basis before it is officially commissioned by President Uhuru Kenyatta in the coming weeks.
“This is not the official launch, it’s not the official commissioning, that will be done by his excellency the president in a few weeks time. I drove myself from James Gichuru road all the way to where I am, the JKIA turn off, it took me eight minutes only. Previously I have driven from JKIA to Westlands and it took me about two hours,” said the CS.
Meanwhile, as the situation on the upper part of the double-decker road appears to be receiving plaudits, it is the lower part of the road, sections of the old Mombasa road, Highway A109, to Highway A104, Waiyaki Way that have motorists concerned as it is plagued by poor drainage concerns and excessive damage that is affecting not only motorists but also pedestrians.
Macharia has meanwhile sought to allay fears that the road has been forgotten saying that Sh9 billion will be set aside to revamp the road in its entirety while adding new features.
“We are going to enhance the old road, the Mombasa road, all the way from Mlolongo all the way to Westlands to make sure that motorists that do not use the expressway have a beautiful enhanced road,” he said.
‘We are finalizing a contract of about Sh9 billion to make sure we enhance and beautify the old road. This beautification will be starting in a few weeks time, whereby we will be doing draining system, lighting systems, we shall re-carpet the old road to make sure that whether you are driving up here (Nairobi Expressway) to down there, that you have enhanced comfort and enjoy your drive along this corridor,” said Macharia.
The CS said that the expenditure was as a result of the damage to the old road and that it was being revamped in collaboration with the contractor.
“We shall be putting a BRT, that is an addition to what was there before, we are doing cycling lanes, pathways, these are additional investments which we are doing, which of course the government will bare..but where we are doing work as a result of the damage of the old road the contractor, of course, takes accountability for that,”
The road infrastructure project which is completely funded by a private investment entity is said to have cost USD 600 million or Sh70 billion according to Macharia. The road project is financed by the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), the parent firm of China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), in a public-private partnership (PPP).
The 27-kilometer elevated highway will extend from Mlolongo to James Gichuru Road in Westlands.
Nairobi Expressway Toll Rates And Routes
According to Macharia, 11,000 motorists have been registered so far to use the Nairobi Expressway, with the number expected rot rise by 50,000 in the coming weeks.
With 27 toll booths, the dual carriageway is said to have 11 interchanges, including at the Standard Gauge Railway terminus, at JKIA, the Eastern Bypass, the Southern Bypass, and Enterprise Road.
Through a gazette notice, the ministry of transport revealed that motorists with saloon cars will pay Sh50 more to use the expressway from Mlolongo to Westlands. Toll charges were raised from Sh310 to Sh360.
Also, according to Section 4B (3) of the Public Roads Toll Act, the cost of using the road from the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) station in Mlolongo and Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to Westlands has been increased to Sh300 from Sh260, while those traveling from Capital Centre to the same destination will pay Sh180, up from Sh160.
The prices could be adjusted in line with changes in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and foreign exchange rates on and after the expressway opens to the public.
China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) will operate the road for 27 years and is expected to earn an estimated Sh106.8 billion profit during that period as part of the deal struck by the Kenyan government as it seeks to make good on its investment.
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