The government anticipates spending Sh5.5 billion on the project, which will benefit the commercial and transportation sectors.
A multibillion-dollar project to decongest
Thika town is in the works, as the government plans to begin dualing the
Thika-Garissa highway.
If the government promptly builds many
interchanges and expands the congested Garissa Road to a dual carriageway,
traffic congestion in Thika town will be a thing of the past.
The government anticipates spending Sh5.5
billion on the project, which is anticipated to benefit the commercial and
transportation sectors.
Ephraim Opuge, a senior engineer for the
Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), estimated that the cost of expanding
the 15-kilometer route from the Thika Superhighway to the Makongeni, Kisii, and
Gatuanyaga districts will be Sh3 billion.
Opuge noted that the capacity expansion
project's interchanges at the Gatitu, Engen, and BAT sections will cost Sh2.5
billion.
It is hoped that the project will put an
end to traffic jams at the industrial town's entrance.
In addition to causing delays, the scenario
has resulted in multiple accidents as drivers seek to escape the jam.
According to Opuge, the project will
involve building two service lanes in addition to two lanes in each direction.
The engineer stated that while some
structures built alongside the road will be demolished as part of the project,
their owners have been given notice to vacate.
During a stakeholder meeting in Thika town,
Opuge stated, "A traffic survey has been completed, and a team is now
working on material sources.
Mbogo Mathioya, the deputy county
commissioner for Thika West, pleaded with locals to work with the contractor
because the project will interrupt daily life with diversions, dust, and
demolition activities.
According to Mathioya, the project would
completely transform the town, which is already planned to grow into a
metropolis in the near future. It is also anchored in the idea of hiring locals
to work on the project.
Local officials and citizens welcomed the
proposal as one that will spur economic expansion and the revival of dying
industries.
It will also help the incoming government
in addressing unemployment.
Residents expressed confidence in the
future of their companies due to better accessibility, which will effectively
reduce mechanical damage to vehicles.
The project's construction work will begin
in three months time.
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