Construction of Sh28b Dongo Kundu bypass road in Mombasa begins

Part of Dongo Kundu bypass where Mtesa Bridge. The bridge is to be 1440 metres long. (Photo Omondi Onyango/Standard)

Mombasa will soon have an alternative route to the South Coast in the next four years ending the trouble of using the congested and unreliable Likoni ferry channel.

Work on the second and third phase of the Dongo Kundu bypass has started and is expected to be complete in less than four years, experts said on Tuesday.

It will cost Sh28 billion with a phase that includes the construction of Kenya’s longest bridge across the Mteza and Mwache creeks taking Sh24 billion.

Phase two of the route comprises nine kilometres of main construction at sea including the 1.44 km Mteza bridge, a 690 metre viaduct and 660 metres of Mwache bridge.

The Sh4 billion seven kilometres of dual road from Kibundani on the southern end to the seaside at Mwangala is in progress.

The two phases are part of the 17.5 km Dongo Kundu bypass road from Miritini in Mombasa County to Ng’ombeni in Kwale county.

The phase which connects to the Mombasa-Nairobi road near the Mombasa Standard Gauge Railway station, the Moi international airport and the port of Mombasa was completed about two years go.

“In four years, we have an alternative road to the South Coast. We will also have a road to the Dongo Kundu special economic zone (SEC) from the Mwangala area that will facilitate the movement of goods upcountry,” said Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) deputy director for special projects Kungu Ndung’u.

According to Engineer Ndung’u, the Kibundani-Mwangala road under phase three would be completed in the next two years.

He spoke during a tour of the two project accompanied by engineers from Fujita Mitsubishi Corporation of Japan who are constructing the bridges under phase two and China Civil Engineering Corporation building the seven-km road.