Construction works at the Dongo Kundu bypass. [Photo/ Business Daily]
Crazy traffic jams in Mombasa will soon be a thing of the past, following the awarding of the Sh6.5 billion contract to construct the Mombasa-Jonvu superhighway. Third China Engineering Company, which won the tender, is expected to start the construction of the 10km road immediately, that will open up the current single two-roadway into a road with six lanes. Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) director general Peter Mundinia said the road, set to be completed within 30 months, will make it easy to transport cargo from the Port of Mombasa to Nairobi and neighbouring countries. “We will also provide non-motorised transport network and adjacent truck parking areas including service lanes to improve accessibility to surrounding business areas and port related activity centres such as Container Freight Stations,” he said, as quoted by Business Daily. The Jubilee administration and the African Development Bank are jointly funding the project, which is part of planned work to make the road between Mombasa and Mariakani a dual carriageway. The government is now waiting for bids to contract phase 2 and 3 of the project, according to the KeNHA boss. Phase one of the project, the 11km-road between Mombasa and Miritini, is 70% complete, Mundinia said. Phase two will see construction of 9km of the road between Mwache Junction and Mteza, while phase three is the 7km path from Mteza and Kibundani. “We expect that the bids will be out on August 23rd after which we will do the evaluation and award the contract. The entire bypass will cost about Sh39 billion and will be complete in four years because most of the works will be done in the ocean,” the KeNHA boss said. Experts expect the Dongo Kundu road, which links the Mombasa-Nairobi road with the Likoni-Lunga Lunga road, to solve the traffic congestion at the Likoni ferry.