City bypass stirs sleepy region as motorists marvel at peaceful driving

The Namanga-Athi River-Nairobi road connects Kenya with Tanzania while the Nairobi-Isiolo-Moyale road connects Kenya with the Ethiopia. It is also part of the Great North Road from Cape Town to Cairo.

The Eastern bypass is expansive and can accommodate two heavy commercial vehicles going on opposite directions.

Driving to the airport on the link is a lot easier considering the section’s flat topology that, among other things, would allow drivers to use light gears and consume less fuel.

The sound of the Nairobi and Gatharaini rivers that cut across the bypass and chirping of different species of birds offer a beautiful scenery, which is the contrast of the chaotic city centre.

The Northern bypass is about 25 kilometres long and has a service road of 10 kilometres from Ruaka trading centre on Limuru road.

It overpasses Banana road, goes through the upmarket Runda and Githogoro village and then crosses the Kiambu road on Ridgeways.

The bypasses runs next to the Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club area and the United States International University and intersects Kamiti road at Githurai.

The construction includes interchange, flyover crossing, box culverts, standard pipe culverts and other drainage works.

The yet-to-take-off Southern bypass is planned to start from Mombasa Road beyond the Nairobi National Park into Kibera slums then connecting to the Kikuyu - Limuru road, releasing motorists to the Nairobi-Nakuru highway.