Two-day jam hits Nakuru as footbridge comes down

By Beatrice Obwocha

Traffic in Nakuru turned chaotic on Wednesday evening after a footbridge at the roundabout connecting Geoffrey Kamau Highway and Mburu Gichua Road collapsed.

This was the longest traffic snarl-up witnessed in the town in recent times, with motorists taking more than an hour to navigate a stretch that usually takes them ten minutes. Passengers were stranded in bus stops as the snarl-up dragged well into the better part of of Thursday. It was reported that a truck ferrying an oversize load hit the top of the footbridge causing it to crack.

The bridge was sealed off after engineers from the Ministry of Public Works declared the bridge was unsafe and could topple at any time.

Traffic police officers had a hectic time redirecting vehicles to other routes, which resulted in traffic pile-ups even in estate roads, as Roads Minister Franklin Bett toured the site to assess the situation.

According to Rift Valley Traffic Enforcement Officer Mary Omari, the trailer hit the footbridge at around 7.30am on Wednesday.

Ease traffic

She said the trailer was moved from the road to ease traffic and pedestrians continued to use the footbridge.

"Engineers from the Ministry of Public Works came to inspect the bridge and decided it should be closed, as it was risky to pedestrians," she said.

The engineers, she added, later decided to demolish the bridge as it was shaking vigorously when vehicles, especially trailers drove past.

The bridge was closed for demolition at 4.30pm and that was when the traffic madness started.

Pedestrians who often use the bridge to visit the largest health facility in the region — Rift Valley Provincial General Hospital — were stranded. The bridge also takes people to War Memorial and Annex hospitals, as well as the Nakuru Municipal Mortuary and Nakuru North cemetery.

The bridge was constructed to avert accidents that used to occur daily at the section, as people crossed to and from the facilities.

Pedestrians were stranded after the Ministry of Public Works ordered the bridge be closed after a trailer ferrying an oversize container hit it, causing it to crack. The ministry later demolished the bridge (inset) causing gridlock that affected the entire Nakuru Town. [PHOTO: BONIFACE THUKU/STANDARD]

It is located at the main entry to Nakuru Town that is considered a transit point for vehicles travelling along the Nairobi-Nakuru-Eldoret-Kampala highway, as well as those going to Kisumu.

The footbridge is located several metres from a roundabout connecting Geoffrey Kamau Highway that is used by vehicles heading to Eldoret and Eldama Ravine, and Mburu Gichua that heads into the town.

Mburu Gichua Road is one of the busiest, as vehicles from both Nairobi and Eldoret use it to enter the Central Business District and the main bus termini. The closure of the section near the bridge saw vehicles travelling towards and from Nairobi redirected to use Section 58 route to Oginga Odinga road into the town; or to Hospital road near State House to towards Eldoret and Eldama Ravine.

Matatus plying the Free Area and Section 58 areas were diverted to the same route, leaving passengers stranded for hours.

Removing debris

Some drivers tried to avoid the jam at Oginga Odinga Road and drove to Kanu Street causing another snarl up there.

Vehicles from Eldoret were diverted at the KFA roundabout and had to use Hospital road to Nairobi and those heading into the town either used Geoffrey Kamau or Mburu Gichua roads.

The bridge was demolished at around 8pm and the work went on through the night and into Thursday morning.

All roads within Nakuru town were clogged by vehicle traffic with some people opting to remain in their places of work until the jam eased.

James Mburu, a driver with Mololine Shuttle, said they had to use the KFA roundabout and Hospital Road when going to Nairobi and it took them 45 minutes to navigate the stretch. "The journey to Nairobi is taking three to four hours now because of the jam," Mburu said.

Liz Ondari, a resident of Kimaunyi Estate, said it took her two hours to get home while on ordinary days, it takes 20 minutes to cover the distance.

Addressing the press at the site on Wednesday night, the Roads Minister said the incident was an "act of carelessness" on the part of those who were transporting the load.

"Traffic rules are clear that loads transported on the road should not be more than 4.2 metres high and these one exceeded that limit," said the Bureti MP.

Bett said it was unfortunate that the H-Young, one of the companies involved in rehabilitation of roads in the country, was transporting the load and said they will have to bear the cost of reconstructing the bridge.

The minister said the bridge was important to pedestrians and it may take up to six months to construct another due to government’s lengthy procurement procedures and construction work.

"The bridge had to be demolished as it posed a threat to pedestrians and motorists," he said.

By Thursday noon, contractors were busy removing debris of the demolished bridge.