Express way work boosted as Kenya power moves to relocate power lines

Work at Nairobi express way set to accelerate as Kenya power moves to relocate power lines.

In a statement on Thursday the power firm indicated relocation of power lines to pave way for the Nairobi Expressway

 The statement read ‘’24th September 2020…. Kenya Power has commenced the relocation of power lines between Mlolongo, Mombasa road and James Gichuru road to pave way for construction of the 27.1-kilometer-long Nairobi Expressway.

The exercise will cost Sh1.08 billion which will be met by the Kenya National Highways Authority (KENHA).

The Company recognises the importance of the Expressway to the national infrastructure framework and is keen on completing this exercise with minimal interruptions to power supply.

“When executing projects of this magnitude, some of the customers within the estates along the Expressway corridor will experience interruptions in power supply. However, the Company is planning to minimize power interruptions by leveraging the Live Line Maintenance technology which relocate most of the lines without switching off supply,” said Kenya Power’s Managing Director & CEO, Bernard Ngugi.

The scope of work will involve the relocation of a combined 106 kilometers of high voltage (66kV), medium voltage (11kV), and low voltage cables as well as 28 transformers serving the area.

As at today, Kenya Power has covered 17 kilometers of the Expressway. Once completed, 40.6 kilometers of the network will pass underground.

“We aim to keep the lights on even as we carry out this critical exercise. We will ensure that we relocate as much network as possible using our Live Line Maintenance team to minimize interruption. Where it will be inevitable to switch off supply, we are scheduling interruptions and communicating the plan to customers,” said Mr. Ngugi.

The exercise begun in September and will be completed at the end of November this year. It is being carried out by a team of 60 employees from Kenya Power and 4 external underground cabling contractors

The exercise is set to accelerate work on the express that begins at Mlolongo to JKIA, Nairobi’s CBD and ends at Westlands along Waiyaki Way.y

The 27km project is a public-private partnership(PPP).and is set to decongest the city with interchanges and a planned bus park at the recently demolished Nairobi Lunar park.

The project was lauched last October and by president Uhuru Kenyatta and is scheduled for completion December 2022