Construction of phase two and three of 26.8-kilometre Dongo Kundu Bypass in Mombasa is set to begin in June as the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) seeks to complete the road that will connect north coast and south coast.

KeNHA said on Friday that tenders for the project were evaluated last month and will be awarded shortly.

“In three months’ time, we will be starting the last two phases. The tenders for the project were evaluated last month and soon we will know who has been awarded so that we can get the project moving,” KeNHA assistant director of corporate communication Charles Njogu said in a statement.

The second phase of the Dongo Kundu Bypass project consists of an 8.9-kilometre road between Mwache Junction and Mteza, while phase three involves construction of a 6.9-kilometre road from Mteza and Kibundani – connecting the highway to the Likoni-Lunga Lunga road.

The project will involve construction of an interchange at the Likoni-Lunga Lunga highway and installation of two bridges: one at Mwache – spanning 900 metres, and a second one at Mteza straddling 1.4 kilometres.

In November 2014, Kenya signed a Sh25 billion loan agreement with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) to finance the construction of the Dongo Kundu Bypass.

The loan will be repaid in 30 years at an interest rate of 1.2 per cent, after a grace period of ten years.

Meanwhile, construction of an 11km road in phase one of the project is currently 80 per cent complete, according to KeNHA.

Construction of the road between Mombasa Port and Miritini commenced in July 2016 and was scheduled to be completed in 36 months at a cost of Sh11 billion. The project is being undertaken by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation.

The highway runs from Mombasa Port’s second container terminal and links the Mombasa-Nairobi Highway at Bonje, near Mazeras.

“The road will help evacuate cargo from the port. There is currently a lot of congestion at Jomvu and Miritini, a problem we are trying to address by creating this link,” then Infrastructure PS John Mosonik told reporters early last year.

The Dongo Kundu Bypass, also known as the Southern bypass, is seen as the solution to the recurrent congestion problem at Likoni Ferry, which is blamed for the slow pace of development at the south coast region.

Source: Construction Kenya

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