The construction of the Sh17 billion Western Bypass is almost halfway done.
This is according to the project manager, Eric Yu, who said construction of the road is 43.9 percent complete.
“Construction of the bypass commenced in 2019 and is projected to be complete by the end of 2022,” Yu said as quoted by the Star newspaper on Monday.
The project manager explained that land acquisition and relocation of power lines are the biggest challenges. He said the National Land Commission is in the process of acquiring land.
“Persons Affected by the Project (PAPs) have been identified and gazetted for acquisition. The unavailability of land for relocating power mains is the major reason relocation work was not completed by the end of December 2020,” Yu said.
By the end of December 2020, Kenya Power had relocated 93 percent of the power lines in Section I, 85 percent in section II and 35 percent in section III.
Construction of the Western Bypass started in March 2019 and was expected to be completed in 39 months.
CRBC chief corporate communications manager Jane Ngugi said Covid-19 containment measures have delayed the progress. She said they were forced to operate fewer hours each day due to the curfew and cessation of movements.
“This will have an implication on the projected timelines for completion,” Ngugi said.
The 16.79km road starts at Gitaru in Kiambu County and will link the Southern Bypass with the Northern Bypass at Ruaka on completion. It will have a four-lane expressway and seven interchanges at Lower Kabete, Gitaru, Ndenderu, Ruaka, Wanginge, Rumingi and Kihara.
