KeNHA automates weighbridges to ease Northern Corridor traffic, boost trade efficiency
The corridor, which links the Port of Mombasa to landlocked nations like Uganda, Rwanda, and South Sudan, has long suffered from delays caused by traffic jams and extended queues at weighbridges.
The Kenya National Highway Authority (KeNHA) has fully automated weighbridges along the Northern Corridor to reduce traffic congestion and improve efficiency on this vital trade route.
The corridor, which links the Port of Mombasa to landlocked nations like Uganda, Rwanda, and South Sudan, has long suffered from delays caused by traffic jams and extended queues at weighbridges.
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These challenges have adversely affected both motorists and cargo transporters, drawing public calls for urgent government intervention.
In response, KeNHA has implemented high-speed weighing sensors at key weighbridges, including Gilgil, Mai Mahiu, and Suswa, while also increasing the number of mobile weighbridges along the route.
The upgrades aim to enhance the flow of traffic and ensure compliance with load regulations.
Danka Africa Kenya Limited, the company tasked with managing the weighbridges, reported a 99 per cent compliance rate among local and transit truck drivers.
According to Jackson Kimuyu, the Assistant Operations Manager at the company, the automated system filters trucks preliminarily, significantly reducing overloading cases.
"The stringent measures have curbed overloading," Kimuyu said.
These changes come after numerous complaints from motorists who previously spent hours stuck on the busy highway.
By modernising weighbridge operations, KeNHA hopes to sustain the Northern Corridor as an efficient trade artery for the region.
Kimuyu said that the stringent measures implemented along the highway have curbed overloading, particularly among local transporters who have in the past flouted weight rules.
The manager noted that all cargo transporters using the corridor must comply with local and East African laws that set limits to weight load to safeguard the crucial road network.
KeNHA's automation initiative aligns with broader efforts to modernize infrastructure, enhance trade efficiency, and reduce logistics costs in the region.
The noble initiative by the highway authority seeks to complement government efforts to expand the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), from Naivasha to the Uganda-Malaba border.
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