Thika superhighway footbridges near completion

Completion of footbridges at Survey, along Thika Road, will take two more months, the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) boss has said, promising to fast-track their construction.

The Sh392 million footbridges at Kenya School of Monetary Studies and Garden City Mall have been pending for more than two years.

Once completed, they will facilitate the movement of pedestrians and ease traffic flow on the busy Thika superhighway.

Steel decks

KeNHA Director General Peter Mundinia said he had tasked the contractor - Fourways Construction Ltd - to fast-track the process and install steel decks in April before delivering the project in May.

“The steel decks will be installed in April and the contractor is expected to deliver the project by end of May. KeNHA has further instructed the contractor to fast-track the removal of the central pier holding structure to reduce traffic snarl-up along the carriageway,” he said in a statement yesterday.

KeNHA plans to implement additional footbridges along the Thika Superhighway in all sections where speed humps exist.

The State entity promised to reveal details of these programmes ‘in due course.’

Mr Mundinia, who gave an update on the Sh430 million footbridges at Witeithie and Njomoko by Interways Works Ltd, said the Njomoko footbridge would be ready by end of March.

The Witeithie footbridge has been completed and ready for public use. “The contractor has already erected a steel barrier at the median to prevent pedestrians from crossing the main carriageway and risking their lives,” he said.

“The contractor is undertaking construction of additional service roads and bus bays on each side of the road to ensure passenger and pedestrian safety followed by removal of existing speed bumps and restoration of road surface at the section.”

KeNHA has been criticised for taking long to complete the footbridges, said to be the “world’s most expensive.”