Locals in Chuka, Tharaka Nithi County, have expressed hope that the planned reconstruction of Nithi Bridge will provide a long-lasting solution to the persistent road crashes at the notorious blackspot.

As construction equipment rolled to the site, the locals heaved a sigh of relief, saying Nithi Bridge has been a source of pain and anguish for many families who have lost their loved ones in the past deadly accidents.

Elsepah Njagi, a trader at Mitheru Market, said many families have lost their loved ones at the bridge. “It has caused a lot of pain not just to the people of here but also Kenyans at large; the whole country has been affected,” she said.

Apart from ridding the area of accidents, Bajagi said the construction will also create job opportunities for the youth, as well as promote transport connectivity. “We have a lot of faith that this project will bring good things to us,” he stated.

“We have engineers here and also many others who can provide unskilled labour,” she said.

“Many leaders have come and gone, but none has ever thought of reconstructing this bridge. That is why we are very happy that President Ruto is delivering the promise he made in 2022,” she added.

On his part, Kenfrey Murimi, a resident operating a car wash at Mutheru, urged the contractor to consider hiring local youth at the site.

“We thank the government for finally reconstructing this bridge because many people have lost their lives here,” he said.

During the 2022 presidential campaign, the Head of State identified Nithi Bridge as one of his key projects once he is elected, saying many lives have been lost unnecessarily at the bridge, which has gained the tag, ‘killer’ bridge, because of the persistent road crashes.

Last week, President Ruto confirmed that the contractor was already on the site, ready to start work, saying that Nithi Bridge evokes bad memories for locals and travellers. He added that Nithi Bridge is one of the key projects that Kenyans often remind him to deliver.

“The contractor is on site, we will build a modern bridge there… When I saw the design, I liked it, but I asked them to also show my deputy, Prof Kithure Kindiki, you know it is good when your deputy is more learned than you,” he joked.

Meanwhile, a stakeholder meeting organised by the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) went on smoothly at the County Commissioners’ office in Meru Town, setting the ball rolling for the long-awaited reconstruction of the bridge.

Nithi Bridge is approximately 48 kilometres from Embu Town and it connects Meru and Tharaka Nithi Counties.

In a statement, KeNHA Director General Eng. Luka Kimeli said the redesigning and realigning of the Nithi Bridge will begin once survey works are concluded, giving the contractor complete possession of the targeted parcels of land.

“The Nithi Bridge has been identified as a high-risk area for road accidents. This is primarily due to restrictive road geometrics arising from the challenging terrain, limited sight distances, and steep curves,” said Eng. Kimeli.

He said that this was compounded by poor driver behaviour, including disregard for lane discipline and speed limits. “The location continues to attract public concern, necessitating urgent intervention to address the geometric deficiencies to enhance road safety,” he pointed out.

As part of the detailed design process for the bridge and approach roads, the KeNHA Director General said that the survey team is required to map out all the affected parcels of land on the project corridor to enable the National Land Commission to initiate the land repossession processes.

“This will grant the contractor complete possession of the site without any encumbrancers and provide him with the designed alignment’s right-of-way, permitting him to execute works without delay,” he added.