Nairobi Expressway
| JKIA–Westlands Highway | |
|---|---|
| Route information | |
| Length | 16.7 mi (26.9 km) |
| History | Designated in 2019 Completion in 2022 |
| Major junctions | |
| South end | Jomo Kenyatta International Airport |
| Likoni Road Junction James Gichuru Road Junction | |
| North end | Rironi |
| Location | |
| Country | Kenya |
| Highway system | |
JKIA–Westlands Highway, also known as the Nairobi Expressway, is a toll road in Kenya, connecting Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to the neighborhood of Rironi, in Kiambu County, along the Nairobi-Limuru Road.[1]
Location
The road starts at Mlolongo area and links up via an interchange with Airport South road of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, along the Nairobi-Mombasa Road. The highway continues along the existing roadway to the Likoni Road Junction, a distance of approximately 12 kilometres (7 mi).[2]
From the Likoni Road junction, the toll highway continues northwards to the James Gichuru Road junction, a distance of approximately 12.5 kilometres (8 mi).[3] From there, the road continues for approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) to Rironi, along the Nairobi–Nakuru Road, where the toll highway ends.[4] The total length of the toll highway is about 50 kilometres (31 mi).
Overview
This road, is intended to ease traffic from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport that accesses Nairobi city center. Also traffic from Central Nairobi is expected to be facilitated, to reduce the number of departing passengers who miss their fights, while stuck in road traffic jams on the city streets.[5] The work involves expansion of the existing road to four-lanes one-way, (8 lanes total), with foot paths, drainage channels, overpass bridges and street lighting.[6]
Construction and funding
The government of Kenya has contracted with China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) to build this toll road on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis. CRBC will use their own money to construct the road expansion, interchanges and toll stations. They will collect the toll fees until their investment is recovered, then the road will revert to government.[7]
The road expansion is to be done in stages. The World Bank had indicated interest in funding the road expansion, but those plans have been overtaken by events.[8] The cost of the toll highway is quoted as between KSh51 billion (US$510 million) and KSh65 billion (US$650 million).[6]
Recent events
In April 2022, 98.4 Capital FM reported that the construction of the expressway was complete and was awaiting political and commercial commissioning. The road project which cost over US$560 million to build, is expected to reduce travel time from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to the Nairobi central business district to between 15 and 20 minutes, instead of the two hours it took, before the expressway was built.[9]
See also
References
- ^ Africanews (16 May 2022). "Relief for motorists as kenya opens Nairobi expressway". Nairobi: Africa News. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
- ^ Globefeed.com (24 April 2019). "Distance between Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, Kenya and PolyPlay Kenya Limited, Kenya". Globefeed.com. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
- ^ Globefeed.com (24 April 2019). "Distance between PolyPlay Kenya Limited, Kenya and Java ABC, Kenya". Globefeed.com. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
- ^ Globefeed.com (24 April 2019). "Distance between Java ABC, Nairobi, Kenya and PCEA Rironi Mother Church, Kenya". Globefeed.com. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
- ^ Miriam Wangui (24 April 2019). "Cabinet approves expressway project linking JKIA to Westlands". Nairobi: The Kenyan Wall Street. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
- ^ a b Geoffrey Mosoku (24 April 2019). "Kenya to sign deal for Sh51 billion JKIA-Westlands expressway". The Standard (Kenya). Nairobi. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
- ^ Angeline Mbogo (5 September 2018). "Chinese Private Investors Commit to Support JKIA-Westlands Expressway". Nairobi: The Kenyan Wall Street. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
- ^ Kenfrey Kiberenge (20 August 2015). "Construction of JKIA–Westlands Superhighway to commence this December". Nairobi: Nairobi News. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
- ^ Grace Njeri (19 April 2022). "Exclusive: Nairobi Expressway in Pictures; The Do's, Don'ts & How to Access it". 98.4 Capital FM. Nairobi, Kenya. Retrieved 24 April 2022.