Demolitions on Thika Road reserves to go on

BY JACKSON OKOTH

Demolitions on Thika road will continue in earnest, as the Government clears constructions on the road’s reserves.

The Roads ministry says structures along the road reserve from Globe Cinema Roundabout, Muthaiga, Kasarani, Githurai to Juja and Blue Post Hotel in Thika will come down.

Demolition of a Nakumatt store on Thika road last week. The project to expand the highway is so far the largest road project undertaken by the Government. [PHOTO: STAFFORD ONDEGO/STANDARD]

The buildings that have gone down are Nakumatt, Roy Transporters, two petrol stations and a hotel.

Thika road is considered one of the busiest in the country, currently operating beyond capacity, carrying more than 60,000 vehicles per day.

The Sh18 billion upgrading and rehabilitation on the Nairobi-Thika highway is funded by the African Development Bank (ADB).

"To accommodate traffic, the highway needs substantial improvements to increase its capacity, says an ADB executive summary report.

This will entail the construction of additional lanes, and the removal of roundabouts at several locations to be replaced by interchanges.

The Nairobi-Thika Highway is one of three major corridors linking downtown Nairobi to the suburbs and satellite towns.

traffic

Traffic demand on this road is almost twice the existing capacity. The poor state of the road has resulted in long traffic snarl ups, excessive mobile emissions, and high level of accidents.

Data shows that over the past five years more than 700 accidents occurred on the Nairobi Thika road of which 227 were fatal.

The upgrading of the highway will provide adequate capacity and considerably decrease the accident rate by minimising vehicle conflicts with traffic interchanges and by providing separate service roads for local and non-motorized traffic, says the report.

Once complete, an improved Thika road is expected to enhance urban mobility within the metropolitan area by reducing traffic congestion.

Details from the ministry indicate that improvement of the Thika road link to the city centre is expected to take two years and will be divided into several contracts.

One will involve rehabilitation and improvement of Forest Road, from the round about junction with Thika road all the way to Museum Hill. A separation bridge will also be constructed at the Museum Hill, all the way to Uhuru Highway together with an interchange at the Museum Hill round about.

The other major reconstruction work will involve the link from Globe Cinema round about, all the way to Moi Avenue, bringing all the traffic to Uhuru Highway through University Way.