Nairobi motorists allowed first experience of driving along section of Nairobi Expressway [Video]

Nairobi motorists were on Tuesday morning March 1, allowed a taste of the experience of driving on a section of elevated Nairobi Expressway.

PSV and private motorists could be seen driving on the elevated stretch of the Nairobi Expressway from ABC Place to Nairobi School.

It is not immediately established whether authorities were testing the road or providing an alternative to the heavy traffic that was experienced along Waiyaki Way.

A passenger on one of the vehicles allowed to use the road filmed their first experience and shared the video on social media with the caption, “A taste of this.....exhilarating! Nairobi Expressway 🔥”.

The heavy traffic along Waiyaki Way also affected feeder roads such as James Gichuru Road that links Westlands and Lavington and the Red Hill Link road.

Drivers in nearby Loresho also complained about the influx of cars that were trying to escape the early morning snarl-up.

Contractors are putting the final touches on the Nairobi Expressway which is set to be officially launched by the end of March 2022.

Presidet Uhuru Kenyatta inspecting the Nairobi Expressway and Uhuru Park Pulse Live Kenya

"I am confident that with the kind of speed they are moving at, the indicated date of March for completion of this road is bound to be met," President Uhuru Kenyatta said during an inspection visit in December 2021.

Kenyans are expected to pay between Sh100 and Sh1,550 in toll charges, depending on the size of the vehicle and the distance covered. The charges will be dollar-based to cushion the Chinese operator from exchange rate losses.

The Nairobi Expressway contractors have also embarked on a beautification project by covering the structural pillars of the road with flowers and green vegetation.

Nairobi Expressway contractors have also embarked on a beautification project Pulse Live Kenya

“They are not artificial in any way. The technology we are using allows the flowers to grow in a short time and will give the expressway an amazing ambience,” Transport CS James Macharia told the media in a past interview.

“They will continuously water the flowers and replant them where need arises. There is a team in place whose responsibility is to deal with landscaping,” added Kenya National Highways Authority Deputy Director Julia Odenyo.