President Uhuru Kenyatta and Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala aboard a ferry when they crossed the Likoni channel in Mombasa County
The final design of the proposed bridge linking Mombasa Island to the South Coast will be out next March raising hopes of easing congestion Likoni ferry crossing.
Japan
consultancy firm, Katahira & Engineers International, the project
consultant began the groundwork survey, focused on completing the first
phase in July. The second phase will end February 2017.
The government through the ministry of transport said it secured funding from Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA).
“Financing
for the actual construction work will be determined after completion of
the survey,” said transport principal secretary John Mosonik.
The ferry experiences congestion with estimates giving an average of 300,000 persons and 3,000 vehicles crossing per day.
Mr
Mosonik said the project is handled as priority to curb congestion at
ferry crossing, which derails movement of tourists. Crossing the island
has been a nightmare over the years.
Last
year for instance, three ferries broke down leaving thousands of
commuters stranded. Stampedes resulting to injuries are a common
occurrence at the crossing when ferries break down.
The Mombasa Gate Bridge is expected to operate concurrently with the ferry.
TANZANIA
The
contractor is set to look into the inflow of traffic from the North
Coast mainland to the island. Also of importance will be the
environment, economic and social impacts of having the bridge
constructed.
The bridge when complete
will ease movement of goods and people between the Island and South
Coast and beyond to Tanzania. It is also expected to reduce conflicts
between docking ships and ferries, which are considered rampant in the
vicinity.
Further, it will enhance
capacity of Mombasa Port, by providing alternative access. It will
create synergy with ongoing Mombasa Port Area Road development project
as well as the Mombasa Special Economic Zone.
The
pre-feasibility study for the bridge conducted by Katahira &
Engineers International was submitted in March last year. It showed that
there was a great possibility of constructing the bridge at the channel
to combat the traffic challenges.
The
contractor recommended the height and width of the bridge, considering
the typography of the coastal region as well as the aviation standards.
