Construction of phase three Dongo Kundu road will be complete by March next year to facilitate the putting up of the Likoni Special Economic Zone.
The seven-kilometre road between Mteza and Kibundani, linking the highway with the Likoni-Lunga Lunga Road, is currently 70 per cent done and it will connect with Dongo Kundu Phase 2 in Mwache to Miritini.
According to Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) deputy director Samuel Ogege, the two phases will be an alternative route to connect South Coast from Mombasa mainland without using Likoni ferry channel.
"The Mombasa Port area project will serve the special economic zone and it will relieve tourists who get delayed at the Likoni channel. Once the channel is complete, it will connect directly to Miritini Standard Gauge Railway Station and Moi International Airport, Mombasa, thus opening up Mombasa and Kwale," said Mr Ogege.
Speaking while touring the projects, Mr Ogege said compensation of those affected by Phase 3 of the project has been completed and they have embarked on scrutinising those affected by Phase 2 which they intend to complete in the next four months.
The Nation has established that the government has released the remaining Sh237 million which is meant to complete compensation to hundreds of those affected by the Dongo Kundu Phase 3 project.
KeNHA Coast regional director Eric Wambua said the government is handling each challenge at a time to ensure the project does not stall.
The project, which is being constructed in phases, is expected to be completed within 48 months after the ground-breaking in March this year.
"The project is on schedule and timelines have not been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The problem we had of compensation has been resolved and money has been released," said Mr Wambua.
KeNHA, in its Mombasa Port area road development report dated May 2019, indicated that it had already paid the National Lands Commission (NLC) Sh300 million out of the total Sh537 million to compensate hundreds of those affected by the project.
By early 2021, locals of Kinango will not have to travel to Likoni to access Mombasa since the Mwache bridge will have been completed.
Locals who travel using motorbikes paying more than Sh400 to Mwache and later use boats to cross to Mombasa will start using the bridge, cutting the cost of transport by more than a half.
The government has been undertaking construction of the Dongo Kundu bypass as it seeks to connect Kwale to Mombasa County.
According to plans for the phase two project, the government plans to build an 8.9-kilometre road between Mwache Junction and Mteza, while phase three of the project will see a 6.9-kilometre stretch between Mteza and Kibundani, linking the highway with the Likoni-Lunga Lunga Road.
In these linkages, there will be an interchange at the Likoni-Lunga Lunga highway and two bridges; one at Mwache that will be 900 metres long and another at Mteza, 1.4 kilometres long.
A Japanese consortium, Fujita Corporation-Mitsubishi Corporation, moved to the site in March this year when the country reported the first case of Covid-19 but the company has continued with work to ensure it is completed on time.
In the past two years, KeNHA has completed some road projects in Mombasa County, easing traffic jams in the westlands side of the county. A planned 30-kilometre dual carriageway from Mombasa to Mariakani will assist in reducing truck traffic to and from the Port of Mombasa.
The Kenya Ports Authority is also set to establish a Special Economic Zone at Dongo Kundu after affirming that the first berth of a new free port will be built soon.
