The long wait is finally over as the Nairobi Expressway has officially been opened for public use.

Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia steered the commissioning of the 27-kilometer road but maintained that the Ministry is still conducting trials to ensure smooth sailing of operations and seal any loopholes that may arise in its use.

He was speaking on Saturday, May 14 during the commissioning of the Kshs 88 billion road where he expressed confidence in the project, pointing out that the number of new users registered is on the rise since the publicization of the commencement of operations, at a steady rate of 800 new users per day. 

At least 11,000 thousand vehicles have so far been registered on the road, with about 7,000 having registered to use the electronic toll collection.

“The expressway is going to help decongest the city, we are excited to launch it this morning,” he stated.

He however assured that the roads below the Expressway had been scheduled for repair after damage during its construction, such as the old Mombasa Road which is set to be rehabilitated at a cost of Ksh.9 billion and will incorporate a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line.

The ministry will be signing a contract next week to commence the construction works, in a bid to further its goal of reducing traffic congestion in the city.

Motorists will now enjoy their trip to and from Mombasa Road from Westlands which has been slashed from two hours to only twenty minutes.

They are still required to pay at the toll stations to gain access to the road, and the Ministry has assured that it will work to ensure that the stations are well equipped to allow for fast service delivery to avoid delays in traffic.