Repairs on Thika superhighway to start in May
Maintenance works on Thika Superhighway, including restoration of street lights, will start in May.
The superhighway, commissioned in November 2012, has been reeling under vandalism, with guardrails and street lights being most affected.
The Kenya National Highway Authority (Kenha) manager in charge of maintenance, Charles Okeyo said the contract to maintain the superhighway was awarded in March.
“A joint venture between SynoHydro and Intex companies was awarded the contract and will start repairing the lights in May,” said Engineer Okeyo.
According to Engineer Okeyo, the company that constructed the highway undertook to carry out all maintenance work till March this year, after which the work was to be contracted to a different firm.
“The issuance of the maintenance tender to another contractor has taken a month due to the long procurement process but maintenance is set to begin in May,” said Engineer Okeyo.
The Intex-SynoHydro joint venture won the two-year maintenance contract of the highway.
The company will replace street light poles and bulbs that have been vandalized, as well as patrolling the highway to ensure no more fittings are vandalized.
They will also clean the highway and respond to accidents to assess the damage on the road and even decongest it.
The contractor will also be required to fill and repair potholes and cracks. They will maintain lay bys and bus stops, and replace guardrails, road signs and drainage slab covers.