Kenyan capital’s key connection construction contract cost climbs

The project to build the new highway link from Kenya’s capital Nairobi to the city’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) is now expected to cost US$579 million. This represents an increase of around $206 million from the pricetag originally expected for the link. This cost increase comes despite a substantial change in the design, with the route now featuring a series of flyover sections and underpasses, instead of being elevated along its 43.5km length as originally proposed. This redesign will
February 27, 2018 Read time: 2 mins

The project to build the new highway link from Kenya’s capital Nairobi to the city’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) is now expected to cost US$579 million. This represents an increase of around $206 million from the pricetag originally expected for the link. This cost increase comes despite a substantial change in the design, with the route now featuring a series of flyover sections and underpasses, instead of being elevated along its 43.5km length as originally proposed. This redesign will allow future widening work to be carried out to further increase capacity, given the anticipated continuing growth in Kenya’s vehicle ownership and traffic volumes. This change to the design also makes constructing the necessary interchanges easier and less costly.

The project is being managed by the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), with financing for the first stretch being supplied by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and from the World Bank for the final section.  The route will be tolled and will also feature dedicated lanes for buses.

The project was first proposed over 10 years ago but progress ground to a halt due to insufficient funding. The plans were then dusted off following the availability of new funding sources. Austrian contractor Strabag originally won the deal to build and operate the route but there were concerns over its financing model and the arrangement was cancelled. However, the construction of the project is being carried out in three stages, with Chinese contractor China Wu Yi building one of the sections.

Finance & Funding

Related Content

  • Costa Rica road projects moving forward - slowly
    July 18, 2017
    Costa Rica is moving ahead with a series of major road projects, but progress is proving slower than anticipated or desired. The Costa Rica Government is struggling to achieve satisfactory progress with its overall road improvement programme. So far the key focus has been on maintaining existing links rather than building and improving road connections. The country’s National Laboratory for Structural Material and Models (Lanamme) has produced a report revealing that 85% of the national roads are in accepta
    Read More
  • India’s longest tolled expressway is open to traffic
    January 2, 2013
    Earlier this year, a new expressway was opened to traffic in India, adding connectivity to the country’s road network - Mike Woof reports. India’s economic growth has fuelled a massive construction boom in the country. Road building has been set as a priority by the Indian Government to help ensure continued economic development and improve connectivity between major population centres. One major new expressway has recently opened to traffic, having been designed to international standards and provides insi
    Read More
  • Russia’s trans-continental route
    August 10, 2018
    Russia is spending US$10 billion on building a 2,000km section of road connecting China with the EU – Eugene Gerden reports Russia has now started building a 2,000km section of a new transcontinental route, which will connect China and the EU. According to senior officials from the Russian Ministry of Transport, which is implementing the project, the new road, will be known as the Meridian and will stretch through the Russian territory that borders with Kazakhstan and Belarus. This route forms the Russian
    Read More
  • Florida highway rebuild project
    May 2, 2018
    Rebuilding a congested stretch of highway in Florida will cut congestion and boost safety for commuters - Mike Woof writes. Florida’s 214km-long I-4 highway provides a key transport route between Tampa and Daytona Beach, but has an unenviable reputation for both congestion and safety, with frequent delays due to heavy traffic as well as crashes. The stretch running through the city of Orlando is particularly prone to jams at peak periods, with huge traffic volumes resulting in vehicles having to slow to a c
    Read More

Highlighted Content