[Hold for extra info] Construction of Sh1.8bn Garissa-Tana bridge kicks off

The construction of a Sh1.8 billion bridge to replace the 43-year-old defective Garissa-Tana bridge has begun.

*What activities have taken place so far?

*Comments from other members of the public, as there is only one here

*Photographs

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• Northern Kenya
• Kenya National Highways Authority
• Garissa-Tana bridge
• Rhines Engineering Services
• [Hold for extra info] Construction of Sh1.8bn Garissa-Tana bridge kicks off
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Kungu Nd'ungu, director-general of the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA), led a team on a tour of the site on Wednesday.

Ndung'u said the project was prompted by defects on the bridge that links the southern and north-eastern parts of Kenya.

"When trucks use the bridge, it vibrates significantly, which has forced KeNHA to limit vehicle movement," he said, adding they restrict the weight of vehicles using the bridge and set a speed limit.

KeNHA said the new bridge will be a metre higher and 150 meters longer, and that once completed, the old bridge will only be for light traffic, such as pedestrians and livestock.

Project consultant Gideon Wafula of Rhines Engineering Services said the project will have been completed by February 7, 2026.

Wafula hinted that President William Ruto would commission the project immediately after Ramadan, which is expected to end on April 10, 2024.

Abdinur Aden, a matatu driver along the Garissa-Madogo route, said motorists had long awaited a solution.

"I have used the bridge daily for the last 15 years. In the last two years, the extent of vibrations, especially when heavy commercial vehicles use it, reached worrying levels," he said.

He noted the most fearsome period was during the El Nino rains, when a section of the passage got damaged.