That Nairobi is currently a huge construction site is not in doubt. Here are a select few projects that will change the face of Nairobi over the next 2 years and cement Nairobi as the preferred Business hub of sub-Saharan Africa.
After an outstanding two months of the upgraded Nairobi commuter rail phase 1, which saw the DMUs carry a total of 20,000 commuters daily, GOK will start on phase 2 of the Nairobi commuter rail early 2021 in march, which will include a railway line directly to JKIA and a train station inside JKIA.
This phase will see renovations on the 42 km Nairobi - Limuru line completed , the 40km Nairobi - Lukenya railway line completed and the 40 km Nairobi-Thika line.
DMUs for this phase will be provided by Alstom a French rolling stock manufacturer .The French government has already committed kshs 14 billion towards the project.
The last 6 sets of DMUs procured from Spain are set to arrive this January or early February in order for KRC to start on hourly services of the Nairobi commuter rail phase 1.
On completion Nairobi will have over 250 km of commuter rail
An elevated 27km highway linking JKIA with Rironi is currently under fast pace construction. The project will include a dedicated bus lane and it is meant to ease traffic from JKIA into the city center.
Kenyatta Avenue-Ngong Road 4 lane Viaduct (6 km)
This is another elevated highway that will run on top of Kenyatta avenue connecting to Ngong road. It will enter and exit the CBD under the Nairobi expressway currently under construction.
The project has already been awarded to CRBC, the same company that is currently building the Nairobi expressway
JKIA Terminal 1B,IC Upgrade
Upgrades are currently ongoing to upgrade Terminal 1B and 1C of JKIA to the same standard as terminal 1A. The project includes construction of bigger lounges, bigger shopping and eatery spaces.
The 12-month airport development project which is estimated to cost KES. 963 million aims to refurbish the departure halls to improve the check-in, security screening, retail operations as well as passenger lounge experience.
Once completed, the newly renovated light-filled departure terminals will deliver modern concessions and amenities that will give travelers a friendly and memorable experience. It will also ease passenger flow and increase efficiency due to the centralization of security screening procedures and the reallocation of available floor spaces to international departure gates.
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The refurbishment and facelift of the T1B & 1C aims to align the passenger experience in these terminals to match what is offered at T1A. said KAA Ag. MD/CEO Alex Gitari.
“The remodeling project is an integral part of the ongoing JKIA Customer Service Improvement Plan (CSIP) which was formulated from feedback from our stakeholders and customers”, he added.
Other projects worth mentioning include
i) Waiyaki way road expansion into a 6 lane highway.
ii) Western bypass construction which will form the last link of the bypass roads around Nairobi.
iii) Last mile connectivity buses for the Nairobi commuter rail.
iv) Non motorized transport corridor which includes a series of interconnected cycling and pedestrian lanes all across the city. currently construction of the same is ongoing in the CBD to connect all three CBD districts.