At an estimated cost of Sh8.5 billion, a Chinese funded road construction project which is expected to ease traffic jams in Nairobi is having other unintended ripple effects.
By-passes are meant to ease congestion and always spur growth where they pass. If anything, whenever a road is built, development follows.
This should send signals to the government that all the country needs is a good road network.
Take Thika Road for instance. Its mere expansion is already spurring growth and investors are ready to pay premium but enjoy the services the good road offers.
The Northern and Eastern bypasses, which are part of the government’s major infrastructure development programme aimed at making Kenya a regional business hub, have not only seen a scramble for property near those roads but an equally sharp rise in their price.
The government is financing 15 per cent of the project (Sh1.2 billion) while the Chinese government is financing the remaining 85 per cent (Sh7.3 billion).
The 31-km Northern bypass starts from Ruaka trading centre on Limuru Road, overpasses Banana Hill Road through Runda Estate, Closeburn Farm, onwards to Kahawa West, Kamae and Ruiru where it joins the Eastern bypass.
The 39km Eastern bypass links Thika Road to Mombasa Road near City Cabanas Restaurant. It passes through Ruai and Embakasi.
Traffic from Mombasa destined for Central and Western Kenya will use the Southern bypass and will avoid the city centre.
It starts from the former American Embassy, runs adjacent to Nairobi National Park, crosses Lang’ata Road near the Carnivore Restaurant onto Ngong’ Road near Lenana School and eventually to Rironi through Kikuyu Town.
This road also caters for all traffic destined for Uganda, Rwanda and the DRC.
Nearly a year after President Kibaki launched their construction last August, the bypasses have attracted what will become satellite towns in most areas. They are both residential and commercial projects. Light industries will move to such areas.
Property consultant Justus Munene confirmed that prices of property near the bypasses have gone up five times in anticipation that the areas would become more accessible and hence attract more people.
Mr Munene, the chief executive director of Dayton Valuers, however, says developments in these areas needed to be controlled.
“Lack of controlled growth of satellite towns like Rongai is creating fresh problems of congestion which need to be addressed early. That is why every morning if you visit Bomas of Kenya junction you will witness a huge traffic snarl-up,” said Mr Munene.
Indeed, an urban planning professor at the University of Nairobi, Mr Peter Ngau, concurred with Mr Munene. Prof Ngau said that wherever a road passed the value of property is bound to increase and shopping centres tend to come up near the roads.
“But they should not grow haphazardly as did areas like Mlolongo on Mombasa Road.
“Good planning dictates that a shopping centre should be away from the highway,” said Prof Ngau.
That was the original plan with Outering Road which never worked. Instead, businesses were allowed right up to the road, which again led to congestion.
Ordinarily, physical and land use planning under the Lands ministry should work together to avoid such congestion.
Source: Daily Nation
Whatever happened to physical planning. Do they ever share notes with the Ministry of Roads?
Nairobi City and indeed other cities and towns in the country could do with Comprehensive plans and Downtown Master Plans. With the New constitution in place, is time not yet ripe for new beginnings in the urban planning too?