Construction of by-pass to Mombasa port starts in 3 months

The expansion of roads around the port of Mombasa is expected to start in September after the government tendered for the construction of a by-pass to help curb traffic congestion.

The Kenya National Highways Authority (Kenha) said Wednesday it is seeking contractors to build an 18km road that will link a new container terminal under construction with the Nairobi-Mombasa highway to avoid the busy Changamwe area.

“We expect to open the bids by mid-August and have the work commence in September because there’s an urgent need to clear the congestion around the port and improve its competitiveness. We have a lot of expansion projects going on at the port and we need roads to handle the extra capacity,” an official at Kenha who is not authorised to speak on the matter told Business Daily.

The by-pass will be constructed under the Mombasa Port Area Road Development Project (MPARD) that aims at curbing traffic congestion.

The Japanese government awarded Kenya Sh29 billion for use in the MPARD mega-project in 2012.

“The time for completion of works is 36 months,” Kenha said in its call for bids in reference to the road link that targets to clear the traffic mess around Changamwe area.

The route is part of phase one of the MPARD and will pass south of the Moi International Airport and west of the Port Reitz harbour before turning south.

The road will link Miritini on the mainland to Ng’ombeni in the south and include four bridges. It will also connect the Likoni-Diani highway.

Two large bridges will be constructed, including a 495m span over water at Mkupe and a 1,360m span at Dongo Kundu.

In the second phase of the project, the government will focus on improving roads on the mainland, including a key six kilometre link from the new container terminal to the southern by-pass.

The government is implementing a raft of expansion programmes at the main port facility in Mombasa, triggering the need for additional routes.