Nairobi Expressway to introduce new exit at Greenpark

 

According to Kipchumba Murkomen, cabinet secretary for roads and transport, the Nairobi Motorway will get a new exit plaza at Greenpark.

Murkomen visited the site of the ongoing construction on the Nairobi Motorway Exit Plaza at Greenpark, which is set to feature five toll lanes, on Thursday.

He stated that the project will aid in easing traffic congestion and enhancing vehicle movement in the city, and it is anticipated to be finished by mid-January.

"There are also plans to add two more lanes, from the current three, at the Museum Hill Exit," the CS said.

He described the Nairobi Motorway as a brilliant example of the potential of private-public partnerships.

He mentioned that the motorway, which was built at no expense to the public, cut the two-hour journey time from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to Nairobi to twenty minutes.

"It has also become a major job creator, employing 6,000 Kenyans during its construction and now offering 500 permanent jobs. Some 200,000 subscribers have enrolled for the E-Ticketing system in 19 months and the road has carried 26 million vehicles, proving that there was indeed demand for it," he said. 

In addition to its various socioeconomic advantages, the Nairobi Motorway, according to Murkomen, is helping to transfer technology to Kenya.

With a 360-degree view of the entire road, its smart traffic monitoring system, according to him, has improved security and emergency response.

"It will provide a good benchmark for the Intelligent Traffic System (ITS) that we have been piloting and is now ready to be rolled out," the CS said. 

The ministry is currently getting more requests for projects similar to the motorway, according to Murkomen, because of its success.

He continued by saying that the ministry is thinking on dualling the Rironi-Mau Summit route, which should start early in the upcoming year.

"A long-term plan to develop roads across the country is underway, some of these roads are; the Nairobi-Mombasa highway and Athi River-Namanga highways, Kisumu-Isibania and Kiambu Road," Murkomen said. 

"We are grateful to the People’s Republic of China and its companies, for being receptive to invest in the country under the PPP program that will ease the credit burden to the country."

BY  LINDWE DANFLOW