Kenya launches dualisation of road notorious with traffic jams

Kenya has launched the dualisation of road that will see the road, notorious with traffic jams expanded. The road dualisation project is expected to cost around KSh1.3bn(US$13m).

Ngong road is known for being one of the most congested roads in Nairobi County. A commuter can take several hours before reaching the city centre.World Bank reports that Nairobi loses up to Sh12 billion on monthly basis due to traffic jams.

President Uhuru Kenyatta who launched the construction of the first of a two-phase project to expand the narrow, six kilometres stretch between the Kenya National Library Services office and the Junction Mall.

The first phase covers a distance of 2.57km between the Kenya National Library Services and the Prestige Plaza. The road dualisation project is being funded by Japan.

Speaking during the launch of the road expansion project, President Uhuru noted that business investments in the city had outpaced the growth of infrastructure, leading to a clogging of major transport channels within the city.

“We need to bring an end the suffering of many Kenyans who are either stuck in traffic or locked out due to poor roads. This will bring us much closer to our target of 10 per cent annual GDP growth,” he said.

The new road will include four vehicle lanes and service lanes on both sides, comprising pedestrian walks and cycling lanes.

There are also plans to later on include a special bus lane to be used exclusively by public service buses to ferry people to and from town without interacting with the normal traffic.

The new design is expected to minimise conflict between vehicles and pedestrians as it includes special pedestrian crossing zones and automated traffic lights at major intersections.
But things are going to get worse before they get better as the project gets underway due to disruptions that will be caused by construction works.