Plans to build the long-awaited Mombasa Northern Bypass have taken a step forward after the government confirmed progress in feasibility studies and due diligence assessments for the multi-billion-shilling project.
The latest update follows a meeting between the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), infrastructure investment platform Africa50 and the Public Private Partnerships Directorate (PPPD), where officials reviewed preliminary findings and discussed the next phase of the proposed road project.
According to KeNHA, the meeting focused on assessing progress made so far and identifying the remaining steps before the project can move into the development stage.
“The meeting provided an opportunity to review progress made, discuss preliminary findings from the ongoing studies, and outline the next steps towards the potential development of the project, including technical, traffic and field investigations,” KeNHA said in a statement.
The proposed bypass is expected to stretch for 27.1 kilometres and will connect the Mombasa–Nairobi Highway at Miritini to the Mombasa–Malindi Road at Kwa Kadzengo in Mtwapa.
An additional 11.5-kilometre Bamburi Link Road is also planned to connect the bypass to the Malindi highway through Bamburi.
For years, residents and motorists have complained about traffic congestion in Mombasa, especially along routes used by cargo trucks travelling to and from the Port of Mombasa. The new bypass is expected to provide an alternative route for through traffic, helping reduce pressure on existing roads within the city.
The ongoing studies are examining traffic volumes, engineering requirements and other technical considerations to determine the project’s viability and guide its implementation.
There have also been investigations into the feasibility of implementing the project using a PPP approach that the government has increasingly used in recent times to develop major infrastructure projects without putting much strain on public borrowing.
Upon completion, the road will facilitate the movement of people and cargo and reduce travel time and connectivity within one of the most congested economic routes in the country.
The project forms part of a wider initiative to upgrade the country’s transport infrastructure in the Coast region and will be part of other big projects such as Dongo Kundu Bypass, Mombasa Port Area Road Development, Miritini-Mwache-Kwa Jomvu Road and Mombasa Southern Bypass.
Although work on the project has not yet begun, the above development shows that the project is slowly but surely gaining momentum towards its realization.
