This Is How Kenyatta Road Will Look Like By End Of March - MP Alice.
Engineer Stanley Kang’ethe,
the man contracted by Thika Town MP Ms. Alice Wambui Ng’ang’a to oversee the
construction of Kenyatta Highway from Munene Industries Limited to Engen Petrol
Station near Jua Kali Thika, has appealed to the public to be patient as they were
almost through with the works. He said that several construction challenges had
delayed the completion of the partial reconstruction of the road resulting to
this delay.
“We apologise for any inconvenience caused during
construction and the inevitable time delays but on completion, the road will be
safer and will ensure a better and uninterrupted journey to road users. We had
to wait for the Kenya Railways to approve the uprooting of the rail tracks near
Nampak before we could proceed with the works,” said Kang’ethe.
The project entails the partial re-construction of the road,
slight widening of the lanes and shoulders of the road and the provision of new
surfacing over a distance of some 3 Kilometres. It will be well marked to guide
motorists and other users so as to ensure utmost safety. The contractor also intends
to erect some speed bumps near Destiny Church, Pilot Estate near QRS Primary
School and at Jua Kali, to control the speed of vehicles in those delicate
spots.
Kang’ethe assured the residents of Thika Town that the road
would be of very high standard.
“The area that we have tarmacked is just partially done. We intend
to add another layer to ensure stability and durability. We also intend to do
the final polishing up of the drainage to ensure that no water stagnates on the
road at any given time,” he said.
He added that the main contractor, TAFRO Contractors, will
raise the area around Nampak where the rail tracks were, to about 3 metres high
so as to ensure that water will never again flood this part of the road. The
Kenya Railways will then lay new rail tracks that would flash with the road to
ensure that they will not affect the smooth drive of vehicles.
This part of Kenyatta Highway has been a pain in the back
for motorist for quite a long time now. It has always crumbled after days of
heavy rain and flooding, rendering it at times impassable. Now, the contractor
is working to make it permanently flood-proof for years to come.
Design plans seen by Thika Town Today indicate that the
contractor has resulted to more ambitious ideas and costly strategies to
rebuild this part of the road by elevating it. He is also focusing on re-building
the road with deep drains and installing wide culverts that will funnel swamp
water out to River Chania.
This is part of an attempt to strike a balance—the need to
provide a quick fix with aspirations of investing in a more thoughtful
long-term solution for the road.
“The two most effective weapons in combating driveway
drainage problems are placement and slope. We won’t be building this road with
the same problems, only for it to be washed away again after the rains. Hon.
Alice Ng’ang’a has sought for a permanent solution by deciding to eradicate all
what has been always causing the huge influx of water to come towards the
roadway. By the end of March the project is expected to be complete and ready
for use by the people,” said Kang’ethe.
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