Motorists will now have easy access to Nairobi's Central Business District (CBD) following the opening of the new five-lane Nairobi Expressway exit plaza at Greenpark.
Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen described the construction, which began in late July 2023, as a shining monument to what public-private partnerships can achieve.
"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 said.
He said plans were underway to add two more lanes to the Museum Hill exit from the current three," he said.
He revealed that plans were underway to add two more lanes at the Museum Hill exit, which currently has only three lanes.
"Negotiations with the University of Nairobi for land acquisition are ongoing," he said.
He added that in addition to the many socio-economic benefits it has brought to the country, the Nairobi Expressway is also facilitating technology transfer to Kenya.
"It’s intelligent traffic monitoring system, which provides a 360-degree view of the entire road, has improved safety and emergency response. It will be a good benchmark for the Intelligent Traffic System (ITS) that we have piloted and are now ready to roll out," said the CS.
"Thanks to the success of the expressway, we are now receiving increasing demand for similar projects. We are therefore considering dualling the Rironi-Mau Summit road and possibly to Eldoret under the PPP. The Nairobi-Mombasa and Athi-River-Namanga highways and the Kiambu road are also potential candidates for tolling.
The Haile Selassie Exit Plaza has five lanes and is expected to ease traffic congestion at the Haile Selassie Roundabout.
The new Expressway Exit Plaza provides smooth access to Nairobi CBD, Upper Hill and Ngong Road.
Murkomen praised the project, saying it has reduced the travel time from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to Nairobi from two hours to 20 minutes at no cost to the taxpayer.
"The expressway employed 6,000 Kenyans during its construction and now 500 people are permanently employed," he said.
Murkomen said 200,000 subscribers had signed up to the e-ticketing system in the past 19 months.
He said the road has carried 26 million vehicles, which is proof that there is demand for it.
"Besides the many socio-economic benefits it has brought to our country, the Nairobi Expressway has facilitated the transfer of technology to Kenya," Murkomen said.
"Its smart traffic monitoring system, with a 360-degree view of the entire road, has improved safety and emergency response. It will be a good benchmark for the Intelligent Traffic System that we have piloted and are ready to roll out," he said.
"We are therefore considering the dualling of the Rironi-Mau Summit road, which will begin next year," he said.
The Chinese-built Nairobi Expressway stretches from the western side of the city to the south-eastern edge of the metropolis and reportedly carries an average of 50,000 vehicles a day.
The Sh87 billion, 27.1-kilometre road was financed and built by the China Road and Bridge Corporation under a public-private partnership model.
The Nairobi Expressway has 10 interchanges and includes the SGR terminus at JKIA, Eastern Bypass, Southern Bypass and Enterprise Road.
