Section of Uhuru Highway to be closed temporarily on Sunday night
By Hilary KimuyuThe Kenya National Highways Authority (Kenha) has announced another temporary closure of a section of Nairobi’s Uhuru Highway.
In a statement on Friday, the authority said the closure of the section of the highway will be effected from Sunday, March 31, at 10pm to Monday, April 1, 2024, at 5am.
“The Kenya National Highways Authority (Kenha) wishes to notify the public that there will be a temporary closure of Uhuru Highway Mombasa Bound Lanes between Haile Selassie Avenue roundabout and Rubis/Neno Evangelism church detour,” Kenha said in a public notice.
According to Kenha, the closure of the road is meant to allow the installation of service ducts. Motorists have therefore been advised to adhere to the proposed traffic management plan and cooperate with the police and traffic marshals on site.
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The closure coincides with another one announced on Thursday on the section of the road between Hotel Boulevard and the University of Nairobi roundabout (Mombasa Bound).
The section of the road has been closed for nine days for scheduled maintenance work.
In a statement on Thursday, Kenha announced that the closure would be effected beginning Thursday March 28, until Saturday, April 6 midnight.
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The authority advised motorists accessing Uhuru Highway (A8) from Westlands and Thika Road to use alternative routes and asked drivers to take caution while approaching the affected sections.
The alternative routes include Harry Thuku Road, University Way, Prof Wangari Mathai Road, and Kipande Road.
In January, Kenha was forced to act and started repairing the neglected tunnel used by University of Nairobi students and the public.
The agency took the initiative in response to public outcry after images of the flooded and dimly lit tunnel, situated near St Paul’s Chapel and the University Way roundabout — an often-used shortcut by students — were shared on social media.
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According to some students who spoke to Nairobi News at the time, the tunnel that connects the main campus and the graduation square had been neglected for over a year. They said that they had been forced to dodge vehicles on Uhuru Highway.
When reached for comment then, Kenha Deputy Director – Corporate Communication Samwel Kumba said although the site had been neglected, work has been happening in the background, including geotechnical investigations, design, planning, and procurement of works for a new structure.
“The precast yard for the new structure has been operational for two months,” said Mr Kumba.
He added that one of the wing walls of the existing structure, which blocks water, is going to be removed, and the side drain along the KBC fence will be improved to mitigate flooding.
“Lights will be installed in the new structure by June 2024,” he said.
In 2020, the tunnel was identified by students as a hotspot for robbery and rape, especially at night.