Dongo Kundu Bypass Highway, also Mombasa Southern Bypass Highway , is a road under construction in

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

. When completed, it will connect Mombasa Mainland West to Mombasa Mainland South, without entering

Mombasa Island Mombasa Island is a coral outcrop located on Kenya's coast on the Indian Ocean, which is connected to the mainland by a causeway. Part of the city of Mombasa is located on the island, including the Old Town. History The old town of Mombasa is ...

Location

Dongo Kundu Bypass starts in the neighborhood called Miritini, on the

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...

–

Mombasa Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of the British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital city status. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...

Highway, approximately , northwest of the

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...

of Mombasa. From there it loops around the western edge of

Moi International Airport Moi International Airport is an international airport in Mombasa, the second-largest city in Kenya. In 2020 the airport was heralded as the "Best Airport in Africa" (with under 2 million passengers annually) by Airports Council International. ...

and ends at a neighborhood called Mwache at the water's edge, west of the airport. From Mwache, several bridges carry the highway across the Port Reitz Bay to Dongo Kundu on the south-side of the bay. From Dongo Kundu the highway continues in a southeasterly direction until it ends at Ng’ombeni, on the

Malindi–Bagamoyo Highway The Malindi–Bagamoyo Highway, also Coastline Transnational Highway, is a road in Kenya and Tanzania, connecting the cities of Malindi and Mombasa in Kenya to Tanga and Bagamoyo in Tanzania. Location Within Kenya The road starts at Malindi, K ...

. The entire bypass highway measures approximately .

Overview

This road is an important transport corridor for traffic destined to and from Tanzania and that to and from the interior of Kenya and beyond. This will ease traffic pressure on the

Likoni Ferry The Likoni Ferry is a ferry service across the Kilindini Harbour, serving the Kenyan city of Mombasa between the Mombasa island side and the mainland suburb of Likoni. Two - four double-ended ferries alternate across the harbour, carrying both ...

. The bypass will decongest

. Four bridges will be built in the swamps and across the open ocean water, as part of the highway. Other road improvements in addition to the highway include a dual carriageway between Miritini and

Kipevu Kipevu is a suburb of Mombasa, in Mombasa County, Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordi ...

, a road measuring connecting Moi International Airport to the bypass which passes west of the airport and clover-leaf interchanges at Miritini and Kipevu. A free trade zone, the ''Dongo Kundu Free Trade Zone'', with 6,200 sites and ability to accommodate more than 10,000 business units is part of the planned development. Kenya National Highway Authority is the developer of the project.

Funding

The construction contract was awarded to

China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation Ltd. (abbreviation CCECC) was established in June 1979 under the approval of the State Council of the People's Republic of China. It performs international contracting and economic cooperation, C ...

. The three phase project is budgeted at KSh25 billion (approx. US$251 million). The first phase of construction was the Miritini to Kipevu section, budgeted at KSh11 billion (approx. US$110.31 million), borrowed from the Japan International Cooperation Agency. *Note: US$1.00 = KSh99.72 on 2 April 2016

Construction

The first phase of this three-phase project was completed and commissioned in June 2018. Phase II and III of the development are expected to follow. As of November 2020, phases II and III were ongoing, with completion anticipated in 2024.

References

External links