The ongoing construction of the multi-billion Standard Gauge Railway has affected traffic flow along Mombasa Road, Athi River Deputy County Commissioner Albert Kimathi has said.
Mr Kimathi who addressed the press at his office in Athi River town on Friday said the project’s contractor China Road and Bridge Corporation blocked feeder roads in the region without consultations.
“There is a big problem if it comes to issues of roads in Athi River. It has come to the attention of everybody, we leaders from the national government, our counterparts from the Machakos county government and general members of the public,” said Kimathi.
Kimathi said the current situation is that once the Mombasa Road is closed, things get to a standstill as transport gets totally paralyzed.
He said the problem had never been addressed until last Friday when protesting bodaboda operators blocked the highway at Devki in Athi River town when Governor Alfred Mutua called an urgent stakeholders meeting to discuss how the problem of frequent traffic snarl-ups on Mombasa Road can be solved once and for all.
Kimathi said the stakeholders included the governor himself, county executives in relevant portfolios, road construction specialists and the sub county security committee team lead by him as the chairman.
He said after a two-hour tour on the highway, the stakeholders found out that CRBC had blocked the access roads to ease for the SGR construction alongside a power installation line.
Kimathi said after the meeting identified and discussed all dynamics leading to the problem, the county government agreed to intervene within two weeks to ensure all the blocked access roads are opened up.
He said opening of the various feeder roads would ease traffic on Nairobi – Mombasa and Nairobi – Namanga Roads thereby ensuring security to motorists and passengers plying on them.