A contractor hoisting a footbridge at Witeithie was on Christmas eve forced to stop and open Thika Road to traffic.
Kenya National Highway Authority (KeNha) instructed the contractor to only block the highway between 11 pm to 4 am on the designated days.
“At Witeithie, the contractor notified KeNha that they experienced a hiccup (sic) when hoisting part of the steel superstructure for the pedestrian footbridge last night. This greatly affected traffic flow for the Thika-bound traffic, causing a massive traffic jam,” KeNha posted on Twitter.
It added that the contractor was notified to divert traffic within the notified timelines (strictly between 11 pm to 4 am when there will be minimal interruptions).
KeNha blamed the contractor for poor traffic management plans but did not specify what actions the authority will take.
The Witeithie footbridge is among four footbridges worth Sh820 million being constructed on Thika Road. Others are at Survey of Kenya – just before the junction to the Kenya School of Monetary Studies, at the Garden Estate Junction and Mang’u.
The footbridges, contracted nearly three years ago, remains a dream. KeNha has blamed the delay on importation of the footbridge superstructures that were to be sourced from China-based factories.
Once completed, bumps slowing traffic to allow pedestrians to cross on Thika Road will be removed allowing faster flow of traffic.
The superstructure at Njomoko near Thika township was erected last weekend and is expected to be in use within the next two weeks once the staircase and concrete ramp are done.
