Ruaraka overpass to delay further

Traffic build up along Nairobi's Thika superhighway near Muthaiga police station. The speed bumps have contributed to the slow movement of vehicles into the city. [Standard]

Industries and motorists who rely on the Thika Road should brace for major snarl-ups on the busy highway.

This as the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (Kura) closes segments of the road to enable it to complete modification of the Ruaraka overpass that is expected to improve traffic flow between the superhighway and Outer Ring Road.

Kura yesterday said it would close the innermost lanes for both traffic bound into and out of the city at the General Service Unit (GSU) headquarters for a month, starting this morning.

This will mean further delay in completing the overpass that was scheduled to be ready by July 18.

The roads’ agency in April embarked on the modification of the overpass, which has been dogged by major traffic congestion despite the recent commissioning of the adjacent Outer Ring Road. It had said this would take three months. The authority while saying the partial closure of parts of the busy highway would last a month did not give a definite date when the project would be completed.

"The innermost lanes for both inbound and outbound traffic of Thika Superhighway at Ruaraka will be closed from August 7, 2019, to September 7, 2019, due to the ongoing construction works of a central pier to link it with Outer Ring Road,” said Kura in a statement yesterday.

Outer Ring Road, whose upgrade was completed in 2017, serves the Baba Dogo industrial area, the Kariobangi Light Industries and Eastlands area.

It also links Thika Road with Mombasa Road through North Airport Road.