By Evelyne Syombua
issyombua@gmail.com
As the Nairobi expressway is set to be commissioned in April, two and three-wheeled vehicles will not be allowed on the Expressway.
The 18.2km on the ground and 8.9km elevated Expressway runs from Mlolongo in Machakos county to Westlands in Nairobi County.
As stated in a Gazette Notice dated December 31, 2020, motorcycles, tuk-tuks, wheelbarrows, handcarts, bicycles, and scooters will not be allowed to access the expressway.
The route will also be closed to pedestrians and skaters.
This decision was informed by the necessity for safety, as the vehicles using the Expressway will be traveling at extremely high speeds as compared to other highways.
The four-lane dual carriageway has an 80km/h speed limit, and tolls will be calculated in dollars and paid with a unique toll card.
According to Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia, toll rates will range from Ksh100 to Ksh1,550, depending on the size of the vehicle and the distance traveled by the motorist.
Mlolongo, Standard Gauge Railway, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Eastern Bypass, Southern Bypass, Capital Centre, Haile Selassie Avenue, Museum Hill, Westlands, and James Gichuru Road are among the 11 interchanges on the Expressway.
“As the contractor nears completion and in preparation for the eventual opening of the road to the public, there will be guided trials to test the operations of the system that has been installed,” said KeNHA on their official Facebook page.
“Being a key road that is expected to decongest the city, the Authority shall inform the public in advance, but at an appropriate time, on arrangements to open the road to the public.”
China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) is the concessionaire in charge of developing, funding, and constructing the expressway, as well as maintaining and operating it during the concession time.
The road was created under a public-private partnership agreement that allows private investors to hold infrastructure projects for a set amount of time in order to recoup their investments before handing them over to the government.
President Uhuru Kenyatta is set to commission the route when it opens to the public in early April.