Motorists plying roads in Eastlands, Nairobi are bracing for inconveniences for the next four days after the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) announced the closure of Outering Road to allow for a construction of a bridge.
However, KURA, in a public notice, announced that as a result of the closure of the crucial thoroughfare at AVenue Park Estate on Thursday, diversions have been provided and urged motorists to comply with instructions by traffic marshals. The estate is located between Nairobi River and North Airport Road roundabout.
“We urge members of the public to be impatient as we strive to improve our roads and to ensure they are safe and efficient,” it added.
On July 17, KURA also closed the road to allow for construction of another footbridge at Quarry Road junction near Ngong River.
The inconveniences that motorists are enduring are as a result of the shoddy work undertaken by Chinese contractor, Sino Hydro Tianjin Engineering Limited, which was tasked with expanding the road. Apart from failure to put up footbridges, the contractor also failed to provide for adequate sidewalks, emergency lanes, markings and signage. It has seen scores of pedestrians killed in freak accidents.
According to a National Transport and Safety Authority report, 23 people were killed along road in the first five months of last year,
The design of the road at crucial sections such as the Donholm roundabout has also been an issue due to frequent traffic gridlocks.
KURA plans to construct 11 footbridges at a cost of Ksh 880 million.
Read: Top artists headline 5th annual Madaraka festival
Outering Road is a traffic tributary to other key thoroughfares such as Thika superhighway, Jogoo Road, Mombasa Road, Kangungo Road, Manyanja Road, North Airport Road and Lunga Lunga Road.
