Traffic disruption on Expressway will run from Thursday, January 25 to Tuesday, January 30 for maintenance of one of the lanes on Expressway.
As such, Moja Expressway warned motorists plying the route of traffic snarl-ups. The company also advised road users to plan their trips accordingly to avoid inconveniences.
“Please drive with caution around the maintenance area. Thank you for choosing the Nairobi Expressway,” read part of the statement.
Notably, at least 65,000 vehicles use the route daily. Since the elevated road was launched in 2022, over 10 million vehicles have used it. It was introduced to ease traffic in the city and slash the commute time for motorist, it is a 27 Kilometres road connecting Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to Westland Nairobi area, constructed under a public-private partnership between the government of Kenya and China Road and Bridge Corporation.
Motorists are charged a fee depending on the distance covered.
The closure comes days after the opening of Nairobi central business district new five-lane Nairobi Expressway exit plaza at GreenPark. Construction of the Haile Selassie Exit started in July 2023 as part of the Kenyan governments quest to ease traffic into the CBD.
“The value of this Expressway was being underutilized because of the exit that was far away from the Central Business District (CBD) and Harambee Avenue which is the heart of the government offices,” said Roads and Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen.
“We are pleased to announce that the trial operation of the newly completed Nairobi Expressway Haile Selassie Exit Plaza has commenced on January 20, 2024,” he added.
Murkomen praised the project, saying it has reduced the travel time from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to Nairobi from 2 hours to 20 minutes at no cost to the taxpayer.
The Nairobi Expressway has 10 interchanges and includes the SGR terminus at JKIA, Eastern Bypass, Southern and Enterprise Road. It was launched by former President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2022 to decongest Mombasa Road and improve mobility in the city.