Economy

Upgrade of Outer Ring Road starts next month

outer ring road

A section of Outer Ring road in Doonholm estate. PHOTO | DENISH OCHIENG | NATION MEDIA GROUP

The expansion of Outer Ring Road into a four-lane dual carriageway is set to start next month after a Canadian engineering firm, Lea International, was picked to supervise the project.
Motorists will have to take numerous deviations during the construction, which will be in sections.
In a statement, the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (Kura) said nearby roads would shoulder much of Outer Ring Road’s traffic in the three-year construction period, which means heavier traffic in the area.
“During the construction, deviation roads of about 12km will be upgraded for use by the public and include Mathare North-Juja Road; Mtarakwa-Komarock Road, Embakasi Barracks-Kangundo Road and Eastern Bypass-Outer Ring Road,” said the authority.
On Wednesday last week, the African Development Bank (AfDB) which is funding most of the Sh8.5 billion project, announced that Lea International would supervise the work, clearing the last hurdle for construction to start.
The firm, in a joint venture with its Indian subsidiary, saw off competition from five other bidders including proposals from two Kenyan consortiums to win the Sh370 million tender.
Chinese construction firm SinoHydro Corporation last month signed a contract with Kura for the construction of the road.
“The contractor is currently mobilising and is set to start the construction from Ruaraka section, apart from improving some parts to allow for traffic movement,” Kura said.

The 13km road stretches from the Ruaraka/Thika Road Junction to Taj Mall in Embakasi. The project involves construction of two lanes in each direction, service roads, 10 footbridges, non-motorised transport facilities and six interchanges. The design also makes provision for a nine-metre raised central median that will be later developed to a bus rapid transit (BRT) corridor.
The road traverses through a densely populated and industrial area with the heavy traffic reducing speed to about 12 to 15 kilometres per hour. It takes between two to three hours to travel the 13km stretch but this is expected to be reduced to 10 minutes once the project is complete.
Estates covered by the road include Mlango Kubwa, Kiamaiko, Huruma, Kariobangi, Umoja, Mukuru and Embakasi.The road expansion is expected to spur industrial expansion in the area by easing access.

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