This Is How The sh.530m Thika By-Pass Will Look Like.
The road is part of the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) road network and will contribute significantly in the easing of traffic jams along the Garissa Highway especially at Makongeni and Gatitu areas. It forms an important link with The Greater Eastern Region of Kenya, being the most direct route between Kenya's Capital City, Nairobi and Garissa, the Principle town of Lower Eastern Region.
The road upgrading will also assist the administrative, social coverage and economic prosperity of the remote parts of Kisii, Kiganjo, Kiang'ombe, Kiandutu and Athena and reduce vehicle operating costs.
Speaking while commissioning the road at the Kivulini Junction in Kisii Estate, CS Transport & Infrastructure James Macharia Gatundu South and Thika Town Constituencies had benefitted from 80km of road at the tune of Ksh. 5billion, both in construction and maintenance.
The actual construction is scheduled to commence in two weeks time and is expected to be complete by 18th May 2019 (36 months). The road has been contracted to H. Young & Co. (EA) Ltd., an Israeli owned company.
Founded in 1951 by ENG. J. Schwartzman, H. Young is a leading company that has worked on many projects across the East African region among them being the Olkaria IV Geothermal Power Project.
"We have awarded the project to a very experienced contractor and we assure you that he is going to do a great job," said John Mosonik, PS Infrastructure.
The project has been sub- divided into three section that will see it link the Thika Superhighway near former Castle Breweries from various points along Thika-Garissa Highway.
The first one will link Garissa Road to the Thika "By-pass" from Kivulini through Kisii Estate to Kiganjo Corner 1. We have second link that will see Garissa Road link it via Engen Petrol Station through to Kiang'ombe. The third one begins at Broadway High School via Kiandutu to Athena. This will then see all these vehicles linked to Thika Superhighway near Castle Breweries.
The project that is estimated to be 25km of road will cost the taxpayer sh. 582,316,448 to be complete. It will consist of the upgrading of the existing gravel roads into a paved (bitumen) surface, with major works including earth works (both excavation and embankment). It will also involve minor drainages (culverts), sub-base, base course and double bituminous surface treatment as a wearing course.
CS Macharia said this project was part of the Jubilee Government's 10,000km of road programme launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta, this being part of the first 4,000 km that were started in January this year.
"This programme is ongoing in all the 47 counties in the Republic of Kenya. We started in Bungoma, then Kericho and today we are launching it here in Kiambu," said Macharia.
He added that Kiambu County had benefitted from 140km of road via this initiative that was mainly targeting rural areas.
His PS assured Kenyans that the government was very committed in solving the problem of traffic congestion in the country so as to open up all areas for economic development.
He promised to send a technical team to Thika to see what they could to solve the perennial problem of traffic in the town adding that they would also look into ways to cub road carnage along Garissa Road.
No comments: