Nairobi Expressway construction taking shape along Waiyaki Way from Nairobi CBD on October 12, 2021. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

 

Only 68.4 per cent of the ongoing construction of the Nairobi Expressway is complete, the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) Director-General Engineer Kung'u Ndung'u has said.

Updating on the status of the Expressway in a circular, KeNHA also noted that the construction of the operation and monitoring centre is now at 98 per cent.

According to the authority, the monitoring centre will help in the management and maintenance of the road once it is fully operational.

“This is set to be completed before the main road works are finished,” Eng Ndung'u said.

The Authority has also opened some sections of the road to ease traffic.

These include; the sections between Mlolongo- JKIA, while more sections will be opened later this week, the Haile Selassie and University of Nairobi roundabouts have diversions to pave way for works in that section, half of the newly-built road from Westlands to James Gichuru road has also been opened and the new pedestrian bridge at General Motors (GM) along Mombasa road.

KeNHA further announced that motorists could experience more traffic at the GM area where a new footbridge has been installed and at the Bunyale Roundabout-University Way where construction is still ongoing.

More than 4,000 people have been employed directly under the project across various departments and sites.

In September, Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia announced that President Uhuru Kenyatta will commission the Expressway in April 2022.