Changamwe-Mariakani dual carriageway project launched

President Uhuru Kenyatta has commissioned the construction of the long-awaited 11.3-km Changamwe-Mariakani dual carriageway to ease congestion on the busy Mombasa-Nairobi highway.

The President launched the dualling of the Mombasa- Kwa Jomvu Section-Lot 1of Mombasa- Mariakani Highway in Changamwe, Mombasa county /PSCU.

“Our aim is to improve the lives of citizens by improving the economy. We are doing the work,” said President Uhuru in Changamwe. The investment on infrastructure, especially at the port, will ensure Kenya favourably competes economically with other nations. “With the work we have done at the port, there will be no other port between Cairo and Durban that will be like the Mombasa Port,” he said.

The US$58.7m Changamwe-Mariakani dual carriageway project will have six lanes from the Mombasa Island to Jomvu, and four lanes from Jomvu to Mariakani, will take approximately 30 months to complete, this is according to Transport CS James Macharia. On completion the road will handle 19,000 vehicles daily.

“This project was long overdue. It is historic. For the first time we have a superhighway coming from Mombasa Island,” said Macharia. However, interchanges will be constructed at Jomvu, Changamwe and Mikindani.

The Airport-Changamwe-Mombasa Port road is presently at 70% complete. The Jubilee government has so far invested at least US$ 577.4m on roads in Mombasa.