This archive report was first published on 17 October 2019.
On October 17, 2019, President Uhuru Kenyatta officially launched the construction of the Sh65 billion JKIA-Westlands expressway, a major infrastructure project aimed at easing traffic congestion in Nairobi.
The 18.5-kilometer highway will be built by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) on a public-private partnership (PPP) model, where investors will recoup their money plus profit from toll fees paid by motorists using the expressway.
The project, which was initially set to start in August, will have multiple interchanges at intersections on Popo-Kapiti, Lang'ata-Lusaka, Bunyala, Rhapta, and James Gichuru roads.
Motorists wishing to escape the heavy traffic jams on the route will pay toll charges to help the private company building the road recover its money, but those using the lower section of the double-decker motorway will be spared the charges.
The state-of-the-art highway will feature a bus rapid transit (BRT) system, where large-capacity buses will have dedicated lanes to ease congestion.
The construction will be done in three phases, starting with phase one which runs from JKIA to Likoni Road, followed by phase two which links Likoni Road to James Gichuru Road junction on Waiyaki Way in Westlands, and the final segment running from James Gichuru Road to Rironi on the Nairobi-Nakuru highway.
