KENHA: Nithi bridge construction to take two years

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The Kenya National Highways Authority (KENHA) has announced plans to realign the Nithi bridge on the Meru -Embu road.

The bridge in Tharaka Nithi county is one of the most feared sections of the Meru -Embu road, and many drivers find it tricky to navigate.

Tucked between Mitheru and Marima markets, it is a steep drop, and the fact that drivers have to navigate the curvy section from both sides makes it even more challenging. Many have failed to successfully navigate it in the past, resulting in many fatal accidents at the spot.

During an engagement with the local community, also attended by Tharaka Nithi County Commissioner David Gitonga and other administrators, KENHA Deputy Director in charge of Structures, Michael Ngala, said the realignment works will include eliminating the curves and slopes on both sides of the blackspot.

"This bridge is part of a project spanning 2.7km, and the bridge itself is going to be 880 metres on a straight portion," said Mr Ngala.

"The bridge has been the source of safety concerns. Many lives have been lost over the years as a result of the many curves and the descent and steep sections that we have on this section of the Embu -Meru road," he added.

Ngala said experts were going to engage residents near the bridge with a view to identifying those who will be affected by the new design.

"We are doing a road component starting on the Marima side and also touching on the Mitheru side," he revealed.

The roads boss said the project will also involve the installation of other safety measures.

"As part of enforcement to ensure safety reigns in this section, we will have the police road checks on the Marima and Mitheru sides and speed cameras to check on the speed of the vehicles as they traverse that section," he said, warning that those who exceed the 70kmph limit would be arrested and prosecuted.

"There will be proper enforcement to ensure that we have no violations in terms of speed limits that are set by the design of the new bridge," he said.

He said that since part of the project will touch private land, the National Land Commission (NLC) will be involved in the acquisition process.

"The contract period is around 24 months. However, that depends on the soonest we can start."

Mr Gitonga said: "I am appealing to the residents to cooperate with the surveyors and engineers to move onto the ground so that we can have the work done as soon as possible."

He said the government wants to identify how much land and the number of residents will be affected, with an aim of acquisition and compensation.

President William Ruto and his deputy, Kithure Kindiki, have in the recent past said Sh7b had been allocated for the project.