The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has awarded the US$62.6m contract for the construction of the Mombasa-Jomvu superhighway.
The contract tender has been awarded to China Engineering Company. The company will construct the 10km road that will expand the current single-two roadway into a dual carriageway with six lanes for the next 30 months.
On completion, the road project will ease transportation of cargo from the port of Mombasa to Nairobi and neighbouring countries of Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
However, according to Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) Director General Peter Mundinia, the authority 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 (CFSs).
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Additionally the government together with the African Development Bank (AfDB) are funding phase one of turning the 41.6km Mombasa to Mariakani road into a dual carriageway. In the meantime, KeNHA is waiting for bids for the construction of phase two and three of the DongoKundu bypass.
The first phase, the Kipevu 11km stretch between Mombasa port and Miritini is at 70%complete. Early June, the KeNHA advertised for the tender for construction of phases two and three of the project after the government secured funds.
Phase two of the project is 8.9km between Mwache Junction and Mteza, while phase three is the 6.9km between Mteza and Kibundani, linking the highway with the Likoni-LungaLunga road.
“We expect that the bids will be out on August 23rd after which we will do the evaluation and award the contract,” said Peter Mundinia. “The entire bypass will cost about US$375.5m and will be complete in 4 years because most of the works will be done in the ocean,” he added.
The 26kmDongoKundu road linking Mombasa-Nairobi highway with Likoni-LungaLunga road is also referred to as the Southern bypass and seen as the solution to the perennial problem of congestion at the Likoni ferry, which is blamed for underdevelopment of the south coast.
Over 300,000 people and 5,000 vehicles use the channel each day, which has overwhelmed the Kenya Ferry Services (KFS) with the five ferries breaking down frequently, resulting to delays.
