The process of expanding, the invitation of bids for the project, Nairobi-Mombasa road into a six-lane super-highway is expected to begin in few months according to Transport and Infrastructure secretary James Macharia.
This will offer a relief to motorists using the highway which has ever been busy causing serious snarls that over the past have led to serious delays and losses in transport sector.
“We have developed plans to do it (the expansion) in terms of having a PPP framework,” Mr Macharia said during a business luncheon organised by the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA).
Macharia said that the ministry would soon make public the framework for the partnership.
According to Macharia, from Mombasa to Nairobi, the road will begin with a 12- lane highway on Mombasa Island, and then narrow into a six-lane highway to Nairobi.
Mr Macharia said expansion of the road, together with the ongoing construction of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), are part of a plan to create an integrated transport system for the port.
“The port cannot be seen in isolation – it should be seen as an integral part of infrastructure development,” he said.