Government to put up foot bridges on Mombasa road’s accident prone areas

By Standard Reporter

Nairobi, Kenya: Two foot bridges will be constructed on Mombasa road by the Government in a bid to end the many accidents that occur on the busy highway.

This follows the awarding of two tenders by Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) for the foot bridges to be erected at General Motors and Bellevue, near South C.

The works will be undertaken by H.Young East Africa at a cost of Sh363,242,952.

According to contract documents released by KeNHA, the bridges are expected to be completed within the next 12 months.

"KeNHA will ensure that the works are executed within the spelt out timelines to ensure value to taxpayers money," Corporate Affairs Manager Charles Njogu said.

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The award follows the adaptation of a report penned by Multiscope Consulting Engineers handed over to the Kenya National Highways Authority recently.

The objective of the study was to provide decision makers in the Government of Kenya and Kenya National Highways Authority, with sufficient information for decision-making on the provision of pedestrian crossing facilities across Mombasa Road between City Cabanas and Nyayo National Stadium”, the terms of reference for the consultancy say in part.

Police sources say that one pedestrian is knocked dead daily near Bellevue and other high risk areas.

“Like other responsible citizens of Kenya, we are concerned by road carnage especially pedestrians crossing. We want to ensure that non motorised traffic users are able to enjoy our facilities without undue risk”, said Njogu.

Njogu said the need for the facilities was scientifically proven following years of collecting and collating data and urged the pedestrians to exercise maximum care when crossing the every busy Mombasa Road.

“It's disturbing to note that the public prefer to dash across the road even when a foot bridge like the one at Nyayo Stadium can be a safer alternative," he said.

He, however, cautioned motorists to exercise due care as KeNHA moves to fix the black spots.

KeNHA said detailed designs (architectural, geometric as well as structural) for each of the components have been adhered to as per the Government policy.

At the City Cabanas, KURA’s proposed design was found to be sufficient and has, therefore, been recommended for implementation. These works form part of the on-going contract for the construction of the Eastern Bypass.

At the General Motors, the schemes proposals for this section include the Provision of overpass/underpass with 4m wide pedestrian walk-way, Provision of 2m wide pedestrian walkways, Provision of hand railings, crash barriers, road side drain, road furniture and markings, Lighting and Installation, landscaping, utility relocation, traffic management and safety provisions and protection works, Structural steel overpass structure was proposed for this location. Structural steel overpass structure was proposed for this location.

“The advantage of this type of structure is that in case of future expansion of the road, the structure can be relocated to another location with ease and without affecting its structural integrity”, the report says.