Redesign killer bridge

The two most notorious places for fatal and serious injury road accidents in the country over the years have been the Salgaa stretch of the Nakuru-Eldoret highway and the Nithi Bridge in the Mt Kenya region.

Of course, there are other spots where the senseless road carnage has occurred, including parts of the Nairobi-Mombasa highway and other areas. However, there has been a sharp reduction in accidents at the once notorious Salgaa black spot following the erection of a barrier in the middle of the highway.

It is, therefore, encouraging to note there are also plans to redesign the killer Nithi Bridge that has caused so much agony for locals and visitors, whose relatives have perished at this spot.

The latest victims are eight women, who died in a crash at the weekend after attending a joyous celebration in Tharaka Nithi County. They were returning to Rongai in Kajiado County when their vehicle and a pick-up were involved in a head-on collision on the Meru-Embu road at night. There were only two survivors.

Poor design of the bridge

This fatal accident will rekindle the talk about the plan to redesign the bridge. Recently, even President William Ruto promised the bridge would be rebuilt. Had the pledge been fulfilled, these latest deaths would probably have been averted.

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, reiterating the promise, said he had been informed by Transport ministry officials that the redesign is almost complete.

The frequent accidents have been blamed on the poor design of the 50-metre-long bridge built in 1985. The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) has assured road users of the government’s commitment to providing a permanent solution.

The proposed interventions include redesigning the bridge or constructing a new one to eliminate the sharp horizontal bends and steep gradients spanning three kilometres.

The redesign of the killer bridge should be fast-tracked to save lives.