Survey footbridge on Thika Road opened after 3-year wait

After years of unexplained delays, the Sh205 million footbridge at the Survey of Kenya on Thika Road has finally been opened to pedestrians.

The footbridge was commissioned for construction more than three years ago to facilitate safe crossing for pedestrians and free flow of traffic along the busy highway.

“Lighting up Thika Superhighway Footbridges; ready for pedestrian use,” the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) announced on Monday.

The footbridge was one of four new overpasses on Thika Road that were commissioned by the authority in May 2018.

The contract was awarded to Fourway Construction Limited, which is also erecting another footbridge at the Garden City crossing, both for Sh390 million.

Earlier this year, after several postponements of opening the footbridge, KeNHA Director-General Peter Mundinia, in a statement, promised to speed up its completion and have it opened in mid-April 2020.

KeNHA is now expected to remove all speed bumps erected below the footbridge to speed up traffic flow as well as enhance the safety of pedestrians.

The section is a crucial link to Mathare slums and the Kenya School of Monetary Studies on one side, while the other connects to the Outer Ring interchange.

Interways Works Limited, which had been contracted to install the Witeithie and Mang’u footbridges for Sh430 million, has since completed and opened them, while Fourway Construction Limited is yet to complete the Garden City footbridge.

Thika Road is one of Kenya’s busiest roads, handling about 200,000 vehicles daily, linking Nairobi to key agricultural counties in central Kenya, and eastern and north-eastern regions.