The Nairobi Expressway Project begins from Mlolongo through the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and Nairobi’s CBD to Westland’s area along Waiyaki Way. The 27.1 km dual carriageway is expected to feature four lanes which will be expandable to six lanes, with 19 interchanges to be built along the route. Some Other important utilities including four footbridges, will be demolished and moved along the expressway. The Construction began last year coming at a cost for businesses and residents along Mombasa Road and causing new levels of chaos in the capital.
The Nairobi Expressway road is currently under construction via a public-private partnership model by the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC). When finished it will connect Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in the east of the city to the Nairobi-Nakuru highway in the west. The project worth $550m will change the city’s skyline and is expected to ease traffic flows in and out of the centre of East Africa’s main commercial hub.
Many Kenyan officials described the expressway as an essential infrastructure project that will inspire modernisation. proposed about 10 years ago, The partially raised highway is financed and constructed by the China Road and Bridge Corporation and the Chinese firm will operate the highway under a public-private partnership. The Nairobi Expressway will cost Sh7.6 billion more than initially indicated by Transport ministry officials, latest disclosures from the Chinese firm undertaking the project show.
The Intention of improving Nairobi’s roads is noble, but some argue it could worsen the city’s traffic problems and cause a huge social and economic divide. There is worry among the people about the impact of the project on the environment. Focus internationally has been on Nairobi’s famous fig tree, saved by the president after an outcry.
