The Kenya National Highway
Authority (KeNHA) is
set to demolish the historic Makupa Causeway that links Mombasa Island to the
Kenyan mainland and construct a new bridge in the next year.
The 120-m Makupa causeway structure between Tudor
and Port Reitz creeks was built in the 1920’s by the British colonial
government and it has reportedly been interfering with the natural oceanic
waves, the free flow of aqueous oxygen and it has also been a cause of damage
to fish breeding grounds, besides bring about pollution.
KeNHA Director for Highway Planning Samuel Omer
said that the proposed 200-m Makupa causeway bridge, similar to the one in
Mbita, Homa Bay County where fishermen and the local community have reported
increased fish, will bring into an end the aquatic life interference by the
Makupa causeway, a thing that has been a concern to marine experts.
The new bridge, contracted to Third China Engineering Company, is also intended to accommodate the old railway
line and KeNHA was reported earlier to be in talks with the Kenya Railways on
how to incorporate the standard gauge railway in the infrastructure as well.
Omer also revealed that the Authority aims to begin
construction of Likoni Bridge and another bridge at Dongo Kundu during the same
period that construction of the Makupa causeway bridge begins.
He said that the Likoni gateway bridge will be approximately 1.6 km long and high enough to enable ships going to the port of Mombasa to pass under it. KeNHA has identified a contractor for the construction of the Dongo Kundu Bridge while another contractor is already on site to build the southern section of the road. https://constructionreviewonline.com/2019/07/kenha-to-construct-a-bridge-across-makupa-causeway-in-mombasa/
