City bypass stirs sleepy region as motorists marvel at peaceful driving

For frequent flyers who use Thika Road to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, the fear of missing flights has been a nasty nightmare thanks to perennial traffic jams on the highway and gridlocks within the city centre.

But this is about to change following the partial opening of the Eastern Bypass that connects Thika Road near Ruiru to JKIA.

The link that is estimated to be 80 per cent complete is also catching the attention of opportunity-hunters in the property market, promising to bring life to the once quiet section of the expansive city.

Property developers around Ruiru, about 22km north of Nairobi, say prices have shot up by close to 100 per cent in two years since the bypass construction started.

The bypass is part of a multi-billion shilling road construction project aimed at decongesting the city of Nairobi, whose traffic flow has become unpredictable leading to many lost opportunities.

When he officially launched the construction of the road, President Kibaki said the building of the bypasses had “become more urgent” considering the congestion in the city.

Transport mess

The President said the bypass would only help in the short-term and challenged planners to come up with new ideas to fix the transportation mess in major urban centres.

Workers and traders using the busy Thika Road daily have resigned to fate when it comes to reporting to work.

However, the situation is expected to improve in the near future when the ongoing Sh27 billion expansion of the highway is complete.

Motoring consultant Gavin Bennett said in an earlier interview that traffic jams in Nairobi cost the economy Sh100 million daily in lost man-hours, wear and tear, and fuel consumption.

Three bypasses — Eastern, Southern and Northern — were planned to ease congestion by ensuring motorists with no business within the city centre do not drive into the Central Business District.

The Southern bypass is yet to take off the ground because of what sources within the Ministry of Roads attribute to delay in getting a financier.

Eastern and Northern bypasses are expected to cost at least Sh10 billion, of which Sh8.5 billion came from the Chinese government.

On the Eastern bypass, businesses are coming up while people connecting to JKIA are reaping in terms of saved time, reduced pollution, and, for some, stress.

Agnes Kathambi, a motorist and a first time user of the road during this interview said the road offers “a major peace of mind,” indicating her feelings and experience in the jams.

“I am a frequent traveller to the airport for business. I live in Thika and it has been major headache going through the city centre. I am saving on fuel and time. I can use half an hour or less to the airport, when before it could be even two hours or more.”

The contractor, China Road and Bridge Corporation, declined to be interviewed for this story.

One of the workers building the road, Abdalla Mohammed, said: “The bypass will open a lot of opportunity to the residents of Ruai in Embakasi.”

The bypasses are expected to make it easier for goods transporters and other motorists to reach the markets on time by avoiding the snarl-up within the city centre.

The Eastern bypass will be 60 metres wide and 40 kilometres long, starting on the Ruiru-Kiambu road.

It crosses Ruiru railway line into Thika Road, enters Kangundo Road and connects to the Mombasa Road through the Embakasi Garrison and the North Airport Road.

Travellers, traders, and tourists that use Thika Road to the Mount Kenya region and the Northern tourism circuit will not need to pass through the city chaos thanks to the bypass.

Fresh produce exporters from Central Kenya and parts of Eastern Province are set to emerge the biggest beneficiaries by saving time when transporting goods to the airport or using the Nairobi-Mombasa highway to the port of Mombasa.

Beautiful scenery

Kennedy Makau, a businessman operating a food joint at the growing hamlet along the road who also doubles as a property agent, said business is picking up and more land buyers were making enquiries.

“This is going to be a [strategic] place because it is a meeting point between the busy Kangundo Road. It offers a place to relax for travellers and perhaps refuel the vehicles,” he said.

So far, there is no filling station along the stretch, posing a headache for some motorists.

However, it presents a potential business opportunity for oil dealers.

The arteries of the Nairobi-Mombasa highway reaching the port is part of the Trans African Highway extending to Uganda and DR Congo.

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.