CRBC-built Nairobi expressway marks one-year anniversary of operation

Vehicles are seen during trial runs on the Nairobi expressway in Nairobi, Kenya, on May 14, 2022. (Photo by Fred Mutune/Xinhua)

As of 31 July, the Nairobi expressway, which was invested, developed, constructed and operated by China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), has been in stable operation for one year, with more than 17 million vehicles passing through it.

Connecting downtown Nairobi with Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, and passing through important landmarks such as Nairobi's Central Business District, the National Museum and etc., the 27.1-kilometer expressway started construction in September 2020 and was put into operation on July 31, 2022.

It is learned that in the past month, the Nairobi expressway has seen an average weekday traffic flow of 60,000 vehicles. Since the trial operation, the highest single-day traffic flow exceeded 75,000 vehicles. In addition, the total number of issued ETC exceeded 160,000, and the proportion of ETC users increased from 26.8 percent in the early stage to 75 percent.

The Nairobi expressway is deeply involved in Kenya's economic and social development, reducing the travelling time from the airport to the city from two hours to 20 minutes, significantly reducing logistics and people's commuting costs.

Besides, during the construction period, the project employed over 6,000 local employees, benefiting 200 local subcontractors and hundreds of local construction material suppliers. In addition, the project employed over 500 local staff during the operational period, accounting for approximately 95 percent of total workforce. (Edited by Bao Nuomin, baonuomin@xinhua.org)