Infrastructure

Ngong Road Footbridges to Cost Sh241 Million

The tender for the project closed on July 14.

Updated on

July 15, 2020

Ngong Road expansion project. — A file picture of works on Ngong Road in Nairobi. PHOTO | FILE

Construction of three additional footbridges on Ngong Road in Nairobi is expected to begin shortly as the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (Kura) embarks on a series of projects to upgrade infrastructure for pedestrians in the city.

Last month, Kura began the process of selecting a contractor for the footbridges that were never factored in during the construction of phases 1 and 2 of the project.

The tender closed on July 14.

“Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, tenders will be quarantined for 48 hours upon receiving and opened (later) in the presence of tenderers,” Kura said in the tender notice.

The successful contractor will build a footbridge at the Kenyatta National Hospital gate, another at the Coptic Church, and a third skywalk at the Kenya Science Technical College.

The footbridges will help patients, students and other road users reach their destinations safely. They will also ease the flow of vehicles that are forced to slow down for pedestrians.

The project is expected to be completed in 18 months for Sh241 million.

In the tender notice, Kura had indicated that the footbridges would include a concrete ramp, a staircase, and a 28-metre superstructure with a concrete flat base.

Unlike phase three of the Ngong Road dualling project, which involves the construction of footbridges on the busy road, phases 1 and 2 did not include the erection of skywalks.

World Kaihatsu Kogyo Company Ltd., a Japanese firm, undertook works on phase one of the project – spanning 2.5 kilometres between the Kenya National Library and Prestige Plaza. The segment was completed in December 2017 for Sh1.3 billion.

The second phase of the project, also by the Japanese company, stretched from Prestige Plaza to Dagoreti Corner – a distance of 4 kilometres. It was completed in April 2019 for Sh2.3 billion.

The first two phases of the project were financed through a grant from the government of Japan. It was for this reason that a Japanese company was hired to do the job.

On completion of the project, World Kaihatsu Kogyo was praised by Nairobi residents, who were particularly impressed by the quality of work and meticulous execution of the job.

In July 2017, Kenya awarded a Sh2 billion tender for phase three to China Qinjian International Group. The project, which is nearing completion, is funded by the taxpayer.

It involves the expansion of the 9.8-kilometre road from Dagoretti Corner to Karen shopping centre. The road will have five-footbridges, with walkways and cycle tracks on both sides.

The erection of the additional Ngong Road footbridges will be a major boost to Kura’s citywide initiatives geared towards improving pedestrian convenience and safety.

The road agency came under fire recently when it opened the Upper Hill-Mbagathi Link Road for traffic without putting in place pedestrian walkways.

In its defence, Kura said walkways and cycle lanes had been considered in the project and that works for the critical pedestrian infrastructure would be completed soon.

“We are in the process of finishing up the walkways on both sides. Kindly be patient,” Kura tweeted to which one Maryanne Njeri asked: “What are pedestrians supposed to use? These facilities should be considered and built concurrently.”