Before the year 2014, people living in the central part of Kenya and parts of eastern had to go through the Nairobi central business district in order to go JKIA and Mombasa Road area.
However after the government initiated a plan to de-congest the Nairobi CBD amid snarling traffic jams, the eastern bypass was constructed and opened to the public in the year 2014. the road which spans 28 kilometres was initially thought to be a dual carriage but was first constructed as a single carriageway.
This new infrastructure came as a blessing and a curse for the people living in the area at the time. the land prices in the areas of kamulu, ruai,utawala and their environs went up by at least 70%. New estates cropped up along the rood as high middle earning people sought to get away from the noisy life in the city centre.
Drainage
However drainage on its part was very poor as it was not built to withstand such a huge number of property development. Traffic jams also became a norm in the road, whose main purpose was to alleviate the problem of traffic jams.
In the year 2017, the national government hatched a plan to dual the road but the plans were halted due to lack of capital. The road is among the 11 roads that were showcased by the government of Kenya as main infrastructure projects during the belt-road initiative in china. it is a major infrastructure investment by the government that seeks to attract investments in the region.
After a wait of over 7 years the residents of the eastern bypass can now rejoice after the government secured funding for the road . Construction works have already started on the less busy sections of the road.
Construction
With Constructions beginning, the residents of membley estate have complained to the Kenya urban roads authority about the poor drainage that has made their estate inhabitable. In a statement seen by https://www.iconnews.co.ke team the residents association of the said estate, claim that the contractor has directed storm water into their estate making the estate unfit and inhabitable.
Kura in their response has agreed that the drainage works are poor and that they are looking to change and redesign the drainage system in the area.
With the construction of the four bypasses that surround the Nairobi CBD, it seems as if the issue of perennial traffic jams will soon be over.
