Works on three Sh1.2bn footbridges on Mombasa Road start next week

Ministry of Roads and Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen at a past function on April 12, 2023. PHOTO | BONFACE BOGITA | NMG

Construction of three footbridges along Mombasa Road will start next week in a Sh1.2 billion project to ease access to the SGR Syokimau terminus and stem pedestrian fatalities along the busy highway.

Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen told Parliament that the works that will start on April 27 will include the construction of a footbridge at the Hilton Inn Hotel next to the Syokimau SGR terminus.

Two others will be built next to the Airtel Building next to the Southern bypass interchange and another one next to the Katani station.

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The three footbridges are key to lowering pedestrian accidents along the busy highway, which is one of the deadliest in the country.

They will also help travellers safely access the Syokimau SGR terminus.

“The works are scheduled to commence on April 27 with a completion date of October 26, 2025. The 30-month period includes 18 months for the projects’ completion and a 12-month defect liability period,’’ Mr Murkomen said.

Official data shows 1,682 pedestrians were killed in Kenya last year, up from 1,557 in 2021 and 1,383 in 2020. The majority of the fatalities were attributed to crossings at non-designated areas, partly due to a lack of footbridges on busy roads.

Mombasa Road remains one the deadliest highways for pedestrians due to a lack of footbridges, with black spots mainly at Bellevue, Panari, Airtel Complex, Standard Group building, Enterprise Road and Imara Daima.

Failure by pedestrians to use footbridges has also contributed to the high fatalities however, prompting the State to introduce fines of at least Sh5,000 for those caught not using the facilities and crossing at non-designated areas along the highways.

A lack of a footbridge next to the Hilton Inn Hotel has for years inconvenienced thousands of travellers and city residents keen to use the SGR train.

Those unwilling to risk crossing at the spot incur more costs over longer distances to access the SGR Syokimau terminus given that the expressway has blocked them from crossing at the bus stage next to Hilton Inn Hotel.

Public outrage over the rising deaths prompted lawmakers to summon Mr Murkomen in a bid to speed up the construction of the footbridges.

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The State invited contractors to bid for the construction of the three footbridges in December last year. Mr Murkomen did not disclose the contractor who will construct the three bridges.

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