Kenyans travelling upcountry through the busy Nairobi-Nakuru Highway will witness a traffic disruption starting next week until mid-January. This comes just in time for people travelling to the village.
In a notice issued on Friday, the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) announced the temporary closure of Waiyaki Way at the Kangemi Interchange to build a bridge. The bridge is being constructed at the intersection of Loresho, Muthanga, and Hinga roads.
According to the notice, KeNHA will close the busy highway in two phases. The construction is expected to start on Wednesday, December 11, and end on Friday, January 17.
“This is due to scheduled construction works of Kangemi Bridge, from Wednesday, December 11, 2024, to Friday, January 17, 2025,” KeNHA warned.
Cars moving through a busy section of traffic on Waiyaki Way in Nairobi on November 19, 2024.
Frankline Oduor
In the first phase, the authority says it will affect Nairobi-bound vehicles. This is scheduled to start next Wednesday and will go on until Monday, December 26.
According to the notice, during this period, KeNHA will completely close the Nairobi-bound lanes of Waiyaki Way, forcing motorists to the outbound lane.
The second phase of the bridge construction will start on Saturday, December 28, to January 17 next year. During this period, KeNHA will close the outbound lanes, that is cars heading to Nakuru and beyond.
The notice says vehicles will be diverted to the inbound lane. This means both vehicles heading in and out of the capital will share the three lanes for this stretch of the road.
“Phase II: Nakuru/Rironi bound traffic (RHS) will be diverted to the LHS from Saturday, December 28, 2024, to Friday, January 17, 2025,” reads part of the notice from KeNHA.
The highway, particularly near areas like Kimende and Rironi, often sees prolonged traffic jams, with some drivers stranded for hours or even overnight.
This year alone, there have been at least two major incidents of traffic snarl-ups reported on the Nairobi-Nakuru highway. A traffic jam in July near Kimende had motorists trapped for over 12 hours due to protests by Lari residents.
In its notice, KeNHA advises motorists to follow the proposed traffic management plan and cooperate with the police and traffic marshals on site.
A section of the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway
Photo
NTV