Section of Nairobi Expressway closed for construction
Motorists using the Nairobi Expressway have been notified of traffic disruptions due to ongoing construction at the JKIA Toll Station Exit.
In a notice, Moja Expressway Company said one lane of teh Expressway will be temporarily out of service, while the other lane will continue to operate as normal.
“While the construction is underway, we kindly request all users of the road to exercise extreme caution and adhere strictly to the temporary traffic control measures that have been put in place,” the company said.
According to Moja Expressway Company, the construction commenced on Sunday, June 4, 2023, and is expected to be completed on Tuesday, June 13, 2023.
The Nairobi Expressway is furnished with toll stations that provide for both Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) and Manual Toll Collection (MTC), cash and recently added M-Pesa payments. Motorists have the option of using either.
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The paid-for highway, which was opened to the public in May, affords users a great view of the city, besides the convenience of avoiding Mombasa Road traffic jam.
The expressway has, however, also had its fair share of Nairobi’s endless gridlocks. While the road that stretches from Westlands to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) was meant to ease traffic for its users, motorists have reported risky spots and other issues regarding the road.
In April, the expressway was hit by a major system failure that saw traffic snarl-up witnessed on sections of the elevated road.
In a statement, the operator said the technical issue resulted from a construction site that damaged their fiber cables.
“Our attention has been drawn to an unfortunate system malfunction at some of the Nairobi Expressway Toll Stations. We would wish to notify the public that the technical issue is a result of construction from a third party which in turn damaged our fiber cables,” read the statement in part.
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Last month, the Kenya National Highways Authority (Kenha) and Moja Expressway Company announced plans to construct additional lanes on the Nairobi Expressway to accommodate growing traffic.
The two entities said the upgrades would include additional lanes at the Museum Hill exit and JKIA entrance and the construction of a new Haile Selassie toll station exit to facilitate a seamless flow of traffic into the CBD.
The Chinese-built Nairobi Expressway stretches from the western side of the city to the southeastern edge of the metropolis and reportedly records an average daily traffic volume of 50,000 vehicles.
The Sh87 billion, 27.1-kilometre road was financed and built by the China Road and Bridge Corporation under a public-private partnership model.
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