The Sh62 billion Nairobi Expressway is now 64 percent complete and is expected to be fully in use by April 2022.The Transport Cabinet Secretary (CS) James Macharia confirmed that it is now 64 per cent complete, and will be commissioned by the president in 6 months.
According to the CS, the expressway is headed toward the right direction and his confidence in the project clearly states that it is progressing well and it will be ready for use early next year. He said that test runs on the road will be in March 2022 since the contractors are expected to complete the construction work by February 2022.
After visiting the site to check the progress of the project, Macharia stated that the work will be completed in two years instead of the earlier stated four years. The contractors worked very hard, 24 hours a day, under tight security and this helped shorten the project period.
The Expressway is a big progress project and it should not be seen just as an infrastructural project. When infrastructure and especially roads are developed in a country, many sectors benefit and most operations of a country become easier, this is what the expressway is about. It will not only ease transportation but will also move labour and capital much faster from one point to another.
Nobody feels good when almost half of their productive time is spent on the road, well, the 27.1 KM Highway from Mlolongo through Uhuru Highway to the James Gichuru junction in Westlands, Nairobi Expressway is just about to help you save your time. Immediately it is completed, the time taken to travel from Ruaka to JKIA (Jomo Kenyatta International Airport) will take a maximum of 30 minutes instead of the normal two to three hours.
Agricultural produce from Kiambu will take less than an hour to get to JKIA and to markets in the city.
It should be noted that the backbone to every economy is good infrastructure and the project is worthy of praise as the citizens will reap the benefits. Kenyans should appreciate the good work that the government is doing in developing the transport sector with no debt incurred as the Expressway construction is purely Public-Private partnership. The China Roads and Bridge Corporation(CRBC) is responsible for designing, financing and building the expressway, and will maintain and operate it during the whole period.
One cannot crave or enjoy the roses and avoid the thorns that come with it. Similarly, the Expressway project which commenced in late 2020, has come at a cost for businesses and residents along Mombasa Road. In order to get access to the expressway land by KeNHA (Kenya National Highway Authority) residents, property owners and business owners had to be evicted. This disrupted their day-to-day lifestyles. Motorists using both Uhuru Highway and Mombasa Road have also been forced to use alternative routes as construction work continues to create tragic traffic. This is a challenge especially during the rush hour to get home before the curfew time that was imposed in 5 counties, a move to help curb the spread of Covid- 19. The situation is however temporary as the project will ensure easy flow of traffic.
So far, the contractor has spent Sh40 billion of the Sh62 billion budget which is meant for completing the whole project. This is a commendable achievement since the project started late last year.