Doosan ADTs provide haulage for Kenyan dam project

In Kenya, a fleet of eight Doosan MT41 articulated dump trucks (ADTs) is being used to carry materials to a major dam project The Chemususu Dam in the Rift Valley, 250km north-east of the capital Nairobi is one of several dams being constructed with heavy investment from the Government of Kenya.The aim is to make access to safe water much easier, removing the need for the long journeys to remote water sources made every day by women and children from small villages across the country to fetch water for thei
April 3, 2013 Read time: 3 mins
Doosan ADTs constantly move up and down the steep mountain roads

In Kenya, a fleet of eight Doosan MT41 articulated dump trucks (ADTs) is being used to carry materials to a major dam project

The Chemususu Dam in the Rift Valley, 250km north-east of the capital Nairobi is one of several dams being constructed with heavy investment from the Government of Kenya.

The aim is to make access to safe water much easier, removing the need for the long journeys to remote water sources made every day by women and children from small villages across the country to fetch water for their families.

Works for the dam started in 2009 and will cover a total of 95 hectares with the dam providing a capacity of 11 billion m³ of water when completed.

The 695 Doosan MT41 ADTs, being used by a company called Frabo & Co, carry rock down the steep slopes of a nearby quarry and on to the site of the dam. Several million tonnes of rock must be extracted from the hillsides and transported to help form the gigantic dam wall which will have a height of 60m.

“During the rainy season, the dusty roads turn into slippery and very muddy surfaces. With their tandem bogie system, the Doosan trucks have no difficulty climbing up the slopes. They always have traction.
As a result, we do not have to stop working when the rain falls,” says Booker Mbugua, managing director of Frabo & Co. According to Mr Mbugua, some of the roads on the project have near-to 360° curves.

With the turning ring mounted at the front of the trucks, the Doosan ADTs are said to ensure excellent stability, preventing tyre wear and avoiding the use of a differential lock system.

To reach the dump site on top of the high stone wall at the dam, the operators have to drive backwards into a very narrow piece of road between the cliffs.

According to the operators, the visibility offered by the Doosan machines ensures that they can tip the load with no fear as they can see all around when driving in reverse.

The Chemususu Dam is due to be finished later this year, and it is estimated that it will produce a daily total of 35 million m³ of water, which is treated in a specialised plant before being distributed to the various neighbouring communities.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • New Zealand truck haulage for road building
    June 4, 2019
    New Zealand-based Gaddum Construction is using two TA300 Terex Trucks articulated haulers to move end material and metal for road building as well as shifting logs. The firm has been carrying out a hauling project on the steep slopes and slippery surfaces of Omaio Forest, on the east side of New Zealand’s North Island, around 57km east of Opotiki. The company, which specialises in the construction of infrastructure on challenging terrain, has been using two TA300 articulated haulers from Terex Trucks on th
    Read More
  • Nigeria’s Eko Atlantic project: a city on the sea
    September 27, 2013
    Imagine a megapolis rising, Atlantis-like, from the sea. An urban development similar in size to New York’s Manhattan that boasts thriving business and residential districts to help transform not just a city but an entire country. It sounds like the stuff of science fiction. But the Eko Atlantic project in Lagos, Nigeria, is real and has become one of the most dazzling and most discussed construction developments in the entire world. One hundred years ago, the area of land on which the new city will be bu
    Read More
  • Strabag on the edge with a Dynapac DF145CS paver from Atlas Copco
    June 10, 2015
    When asphalting the inside of the newly raised edge of a water dam, Austrian road construction company Strabag faced a challenge. The paver had to be operated at an angle of between 34-41 degrees with material fed into the hopper from a ledge just 2.8m wide on the edge of the dam. The Waldeck 2 kidney-shaped hydroelectric station is located on a mountaintop about 500m above sea level on Lake Eder in central Germany. The dam, owned by global energy group E.ON, has a perimeter of about 3km. An important pa
    Read More
  • Rokbak’s top 10 hot winter operating tips
    December 11, 2023
    Safeguarding hauler productivity is vital when operating in low temperatures. Scottish articulated hauler manufacturer Rokbak addresses the challenges posed by winter weather.
    Read More

Highlighted Content