Nairobi-Nakuru Highway: Motorists using the Nairobi-Nakuru-Mau Summit road will pay up to Sh. 7,290 to use the road in toll charges.
The toll charges are expected to make toll charges in Kenya higher than those in South Africa.
According to a report that appeared in the Business Daily on Tuesday, trucks will pay Sh. 30 per kilometre while small cars will pay Sh. 6 per kilometre. This will effectively see motorists pay between Sh. 1,458 and Sh. 7,290.
These toll charges have been recommended by the KeNHA.
A section of the Nairobi-Nakuru Highway.
The Nairobi- Nakuru-Mau Summit road is part of the Northern Corridor and among the most important roads in the region, transporting most of the westbound cargo from the Port of Mombasa and the Capital Nairobi.
“The project will significantly reduce the travel time between Nairobi and Mau Summit with the perennial traffic jam experienced in Nakuru town and around Gilgil being a thing of the past. The section of the road through Nakuru town will be elevated thus ensuring free flow of through traffic’ stated the KeNHA Director General Peter Mundinia.
The highway will encompass expanding the 175km road from Rironi to Mau Summit into a four-lane dual carriageway highway, re-carpeting of Rironi-Mai Mahiu -Naivasha Road (Escarpment Road) and Operation and Maintenance of the recently constructed Nairobi Southern Bypass. It will also include the Gitaru- Rironi section, whose reconstruction has just commenced under James Gichuru-Rironi Road Project.
The project will be undertaken on a Public Private Partnership (PPP) basis, whereby the private sector will raise finance for the road project, design, construct, maintain and operate the road on pre-agreed standards and specifications. The concession for the road is planned for a period of 30 years.
“It is quite gratifying to note the strong interest we have witnessed right on the onset of this project, we are sure the evaluation will yield strong candidates to tender for the project,” said George Kiiru, the Project Pre-Qualification Committee Chairman.
It is expected that through this arrangement which includes operation and maintenance component the road will remain in ultra-modern condition for the entire concession period.
Efficient transportation on the road is anticipated to drastically reduce the cost of transport which will then give rise to huge trade opportunities along the entire corridor.