The 27 km Nairobi Expressway, built by a Chinese firm under a public-private partnership model, on Tuesday last week marked a milestone of ten million total trips by vehicles that have used it since its trial operation in May 2022.
The government aims to leverage the expressway to attract investments in key sectors of the economy like housing, tourism, and manufacturing.
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As a flagship project of Kenya’s Vision 2030, the expressway, whose construction by China Road and Bridge Corporation started in September 2020, has enhanced the movement of people, goods, and services in Nairobi and its outskirts, injecting vitality into key economic sectors like tourism and financial services.
The Nairobi Expressway not only reduces travel time between the east and west sides of Nairobi from two hours to just about 20 minutes, but it also significantly reduces logistics and commuting costs.
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Entrepreneurs enjoy seamless mobility that has enabled them to meet clients on time and negotiate deals. Prior to the launch of the thoroughfare, traders used to endure long traffic snarl-ups on their way to work, to the detriment of their health and business.
The expressway has not only been a game changer in mobility and commerce but has also boosted Kenya’s green aspirations through reduced carbon emissions by motorists.
Zhao Yang, chief executive officer of Moja Expressway Company, which manages the operation of the expressway, said that an average of 50,000 motorists are using it daily, up from 10,000 when it started trial operation.
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