The Government has set aside Sh9 billion for the facelift of the old Mombasa Road, Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia has revealed.
Speaking while opening the Expressway for public use, Macharia said the facelift is for the rehabilitation and improvement of the road which was damaged due to the construction of Expressway.
The pillars supporting the upper deck sometimes smack in the middle of the old road, causing detours.
“When we do work as a result of the damage of the old road the contractor of course takes accountability for that,” he said.
“We will be putting in the Bus Rapid Transport system (BRT), cycling paths and pedestrian pathways,” he added.
Another area to be immediately addressed is the road’s drainage system that failed the test of heavy rains just recently, with storm water being drained from the upper deck down Mombasa Road through dangling pipes.
The expressway runs over 27km, linking Mlolongo town in Machakos county and Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway.
The expressway reaffirms President Uhuru Kenyatta’s commitment to fostering sustainable urban development as a place for living and working that will redefine the landscape for generations to come.
The Nairobi Expressway, which opened yesterday to motorised public on a trial basis, will be operated by Moja Express for 27 years.
The expressway has 11 inter-changes and is expected to accommodate 120,000 daily active users. Kenyans cannot hide their excitement as 10,000 people have already registered to use the expressway, whose design speed is 80 kilometres per hour.
Toll charges are computed based on the vehicle type, entry and exit stations. For instance, saloon cars entering the expressway at Westlands and exiting at Mlolongo will pay Sh360.
There are three payment methods, namely cash, Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) and Manual Toll Collection (MTC). Cash users are not obliged to register prior to their trip on the Nairobi Expressway.
An ETC card requires installation of a unit known as On-Board Unit (OBU) in the vehicle for automatic toll payment. It allows you to easily transition the stations without stopping.
Ambulances, police vehicles, military personnel and fire trucks are exempted from payment.
Those prohibited include Tuk Tuks, wheelbarrows, handcarts, bicycles, scooters and motorcycles.
