Nairobi News

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Sh4.6 billion link roads to ease Nairobi traffic


Traffic congestion in Nairobi is set to ease by 80 per cent as the Transport ministry embarks on a plan to open several link roads within the city.

Cabinet Secretary James Macharia on Friday said the national government is injecting more money into efforts to open the link roads, which will significantly ease traffic flow.

He spoke when he toured the Waiyaki Way-Gachie-Ruaka link road

The government will spend Sh4.58 billion in opening the 17.2-kilometre link roads.

The project will largely be funded by the European Union, with the government contributing only 35 per cent of the total budget.

The extension of Accra Road by 700 metres and Muratina Street to the Thika Superhighway by 2.2 kilometres are part of the efforts the ministry is making to ease traffic.

TRAFFIC JAMS

Ring Road in Parklands will be extended by 3.5 kilometres to the Thika Superhighway. Quarry Road and Lusaka Road will be extended by 1.5 kilometres and 2.1 kilometres respectively.

In the ambitious plan, Enterprise Road will be extended by 2.2 kilometres. Limuru Road to the Muthaiga roundabout will be extended by 1.3 kilometres.

Traffic jams have become the order of the day in the capital city, especially during rush hours. It is estimated that this costs the economy billions of shilling annually in wasted man-hours.

In April, a Serbia-based website numbeo.com ranked Nairobi the second worst city in the world on traffic congestion after Kolkata (formerly Calcutta).