Work starts on Survey footbridge along Thika road

Sections of Thika highway service lanes have been closed to public for seven weeks to allow for the construction of a footbridge at Survey of Kenya.

The Kenya National Highway Authority (Kenha) in a notice to motorists on Friday said the partial closure will remain in place until April 13.

“The outer lanes (service lanes) shall be closed to traffic and we request motorists to exercise caution when approaching the two sections during the day and at night. Motorists should also comply with the traffic management plan to be applied during the next three days,” said Kenha director general Peter Mundinia.

Traffic will be diverted to the motorcycle and bicycle lanes to enable the contractor do his work, he said.

The section is a crucial link to Mathare slums, the National Youth Service engineering school, and the Kenya School of Monetary Studies on one side, while the other connects to the Outer Ring interchange, which was constructed last year by a Chinese company.

The Survey footbridge will cost Sh205 million and is part of four overpasses commissioned for construction three years ago to facilitate safe crossing for pedestrians and free flow of traffic along the busy expressway. Ohers are Garden City, Witeithie, and Mang’u.

The Witeithie footbridge was opened last weekend, three years after Kenha commissioned a local contractor to implement it.

The Garden City footbridge is at 10 percent completion, while the Mang'u one is 70 percent complete.

The Thika superhighway is one of Kenya’s busiest roads, handling about 200,000 vehicles daily, linking Nairobi to key agricultural counties in central Kenya, and to eastern and northeastern regions.