Outer Ring road works displaces traders
Road users along Outer Ring Road will appreciate the progress of the road which is under construction but workers and traders who use the busy road on a daily basis have resigned to fate for the inconveniences that they are continuously subjected to.
Many commuters have been forced to adjust their daily schedules in order to arrive at work on time due to diversions on some parts of the road.
However, the situation is expected to improve soon when the ongoing Sh9 billion expansion of the road is complete.
While motorists will definitely appreciate the new developments given the nightmare of traffic jam that the road is infamous for, the previously easy life of doing business along Outer Ring Road and crossing the road is all gone now.
Many traders have been displaced or forced to relocate to pave way for the road construction. This is already causing a strain on the limited business spaces within the affected communities and which has affected renting rates.
The 13km dual carriageway starts from Ruaraka/Thika Road junction at the GSU headquarters to Taj Mall on the Eastern Bypass in Embakasi.
NEW DESIGN
According to the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA), there are plans for negotiations for new funding between Kenyan government and African Development Bank (AfDB) to finance the new design near Taj Mall area.
The construction will include interchange, flyover crossing, box culverts, standard pipe culverts and other drainage works.
Meanwhile Nairobi Governor Dr Evans Kidero on Thursday unveiled the 3km Taj mall/Kware road which was impassable during the rainy season.
“Seven completed roads will be unveiled in the next seven weeks within the city to ensure good infrastructure and easy access within the city is attained,” Kidero said.
“Muddy, potholed and impassable roads within city estates will be a thing of the past as we intend to fully utilise the Sh6 billion set aside for road construction, repairs and refurbishment,” he added.
Some of the roads under construction which will be launched in the coming days are Kimondo-Tumaini road, Savanna-Greenspan road and Pipeline road.