Region’s eyes on Thika road expansion

Uganda and Tanzania have been studying work of the Thika superhighway as they see it as a model for the region.

Experts from the two countries have been visiting the site to see how the road can be replicated in other East African states, according to the Kenya National Highways Authority.

The work is being handled by China Wu Yi, Sinohydro and Shengli Engineering Construction Group. Consultants overseeing the expansion of Thika Road said on Thursday the work was 12 months behind schedule.

Sitting on road reserves

Mr Hari Ramesh of Consulting Engineering Services, said the delay was mainly due to relocation of water, sewerage, electricity lines and underground communication cables.

“There’s a long way to go with the relocation of services but there is good progress. Most of the roads were two to four lanes and we are making them six to eight lanes, and a lot of these utilities were sitting on road reserves,” he said.

Mr Ramesh said traffic jams will not go away soon due to the nature and size of the project and the fact that the road is being used while parts of it are being constructed.

Roundabouts are to be replaced with underpasses and overpasses and interchanges, with separate bicycle and pedestrian lanes on specific parts.

Mr Ramesh said 10 footbridges will be built at the Central Police Station, Ngara, Desai Road, Pangani, Muthaiga, General Service Unit headquarters at Ruaraka, the Safari Park Hotel, Kahawa Army Barracks, Kenyatta University and at Ruiru.

Engineers from the Kenya National Highways Authority said the most complex work will be at Museum Hill, Pangani and the Eastern Bypass junction near Ruiru town.

At Pangani, there will be an underpass for vehicles heading to Forest Road and an overpass for those heading towards Kariorkor from Forest Road.

Mr Kennedy Nyakuti, the design engineer at the project’s secretariat at Muthaiga, described the Pangani interchange as “the perfect engineer’s nightmare.”