This archive report was first published on 4 October 2021.
The Nairobi Expressway project is gaining momentum, with the Kenya National Highways Authority announcing the opening of the Haile Selassie-UoN Roundabout stretch on October 15, 2021.
According to Ag director-general David Muchilwa, the project's overall progress currently stands at 64.8 per cent, with notable progress in the construction of the operation.
More than 4,000 people have been employed directly under the project across various departments and sites.
However, traffic congestion may still be experienced in areas currently under intervention, such as the General Motors footbridge, where a new footbridge is being installed, and the Bunyala-Haile Selassie Roundabout-University Way, where hoisting of box girders is still ongoing.
To ease traffic, the authority has implemented various interventions, including opening up completed sections of the Nairobi Expressway to traffic, such as the section along Imara Daima to GM and the section at Airtel.
Additionally, lanes previously closed at Syokimau and Mlolongo have been reopened, and two-directional U-turns have been improved at various points, including Mlolongo (Allpack).
President Uhuru Kenyatta is set to commission the Nairobi Expressway in April 2022, with Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia announcing that the project will be completed in two years instead of the earlier projected four years.
"Test runs on the road will take place in March next year, as we are confident that the contractors will have completed all works by February," Macharia said.
When complete, the Nairobi Expressway is expected to significantly reduce travel times, with a journey from Ruaka to JKIA taking a maximum of 30 minutes instead of the current two to three hours.
