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Nairobi's longest flyover takes shape after study

viaduct

Artistic impression of the proposed Nairobi overpass that will link Enterprise Road to the CBD. PHOTO | COURTESY

The government has stepped up efforts to ease traffic on Mombasa Road in Nairobi with plans to construct two-kilometre flyover linking the Industrial Area to the city centre.

Works on the bridge, which will pass over the Nairobi Railway station and displace hundreds of traders at Wakulima Market, will start once feasibility studies on the project are done.

The Japanese agency is conducting the studies, which started in 2016.

“The Government of Kenya in collaboration with Japan International Co-operation Agency intends to construct a viaduct over the railway yard at the Nairobi Central Railway Station,” said Kenya Urban Roads Authority acting director-general Silas Kinoti. “This viaduct will link Enterprise Road to the Nairobi central business district.”

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A study conducted in 2016 established that a section of the flyover would be built on land Wakulima Market currently occupies.

The study has proposed various options to safeguard livelihoods including the relocation of the market to nearby Muthurwa Estate after consultations with stakeholders.

“The project planning and study activities are part of an ongoing process that will give recommendations and inform stakeholders including the government and JICA on the project’s viability,” said Mr Kinoti.