Rains May Impact Nairobi Expressway Delivery

Expressway Drainage
A section of the Nairobi Expressway under construction by a Chinese contractor. (File image)

There are concerns that the ongoing rains may slightly affect the delivery date set for the Nairobi Expressway. For the last few weeks, moderate to heavy rains have pounded Nairobi and other parts of the country. Rain almost always slows down construction projects. The forecast for December shows more rain is expected.

In October, Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia assured Kenyans that the much-awaited opening of the 27-km expressway would happen in April next year. By that time, the works were at nearly 65 percent. Since then, several other sections have already been completed and agonizing traffic jams have slightly eased.

Recently, heavy downpour caused major floods on Mombasa Road, a situation that was partially caused by the ongoing works. However, KeNHA and the contractor moved quickly to address the problem.

The eagerly awaited road running from Mlolongo to James Gichuru intersection along Waiyaki Way has been under construction since mid last two years. The contractor has been under pressure from both Government and road users to hasten the pace of construction and ease major inconveniences on commuters and businesses that have been caused by the construction works.

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