Dualling of dreaded Sachang’wan road finally gets underway

Construction work is underway to convert a section of the Nakuru-Eldoret highway into a dual carriageway as the government seeks to eliminate the dreaded Salgaa-Sachang’wan back spot.

Heavy construction machinery has been installed at Salgaa trading centre and at Migaa where an adjacent route will be established.

This follows the recent closure of bids for the Sh500 million dual carriageway project and the hiring of China Railway Number 10 Engineering Group to undertake the job.

“The [project] will be completed by May 2019,” Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) communications officer Charles Njogu said in a statement.

The project, which involves expansion of the 22-kilometre stretch between Sobea and Kibunja, is aimed at curtailing the number of accidents along the dangerous spot.

According to KeNHA, the scope of work will include erection of dual carriageway at the climbing lane, separation of traffic, installation of Jersey barrier, as well as installation of warning and informative road signs.

The design also provides for the construction of a lorry checking point at the start of the 10-km slope to evaluate the braking systems of vehicles on the road.

Salgaa residents have welcomed the “long overdue” development, saying it will end the frequent accidents along the notorious stretch.

“For long we have asked the government to come up with a solution and now we appreciate it has done something,” said Ms Lucy Wangari, a businesswoman at Salgaa trading centre.

The Salgaa-Sachang’wan section of the highway has become synonymous with grisly road accidents that have claimed hundreds of lives over the past decade.

On December 31 last year, 36 Kenyans died at Salgaa after the bus they were travelling in collided head on with a trailer.

The accident happened barely two week after 16 people perished in horrific multiple crashes at the Sachang’wan black spot.

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