The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure and Nairobi county govt have announced that the southern bypass which was set to be opened in November will be opened Friday next week.
Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero and the Ministry of transport have moved to address the nightmare of daylong traffic jams in the city. Vehicles using Mombasa road and weighing more than eight tonnes will not be allowed into the city beyond Ole Sereni Hotel between 5am and 10pm and will be required to use the bypass.
The bypass project launched in 2012 involves construction of a 28.6km dual carriageway with 12km slip roads and an extra 8.5km service roads. It starts from the junction of Mombasa Road interchange and ends on the Kabete-Limuru Road in Kikuyu town.
Motorists will enter the bypass from the Nairobi-Mombasa highway near Park Side Towers and run on the edge of the Nairobi National Park, Langata South Estate, Ngong Road, Dagoretti, Gitara and Thogoto in Kiambu County where it will then join the Nairobi-Nakuru highway.
Construction of the 28.6km Nairobi Southern Bypass was initially set to be completed in July at a cost of Sh17.1 billion and is 85 per cent funded by China’s EXIM Bank with the Kenyan government catering for the remaining 15 per cent.
