Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia on Tuesday inspected the ongoing works at the construction of the Sh4.5 billion Makupa bridge.

The CS said that once completed, the 457-metre-long Makupa Bridge will ease traffic in and out of Mombasa.

The bridge he said is expected to be ready by May next year to replace the old causeway that was constructed in 1929 and give back Mombasa it's island status.

He stated that the bridge will have about four to six lanes with one completely dedicated for the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system.

"Traffic that has been witnessed in this area will be a thing of the past once the bridge is done, it is going to be wide enough with about 4-6 lanes with one dedicated for the BRT system," said Macharia.

Macharia added that there was also a provision to include a section for the commuter rail on the bridge that will be used to ferry passengers from the old railway station in Mombasa town to Miritini SGR station.

He stated that aside from solving the traffic menace, the construction of the bridge will have a huge environmental impact on the ocean once the course way is removed to allow water flow freely under the bridge.

"We did alot of feasibility studies especially environmental assessments before embarking on the project, once we open it up, we expect the garbage dumped in the water to clear itself and for the fish to regain their breeding grounds," said Macharia

He said that one section of the course way had been closed to allow construction works to go on adding that the contractors undertaking the project had been asked to out in more effort because the project had delayed with four months.

To support the bridge, the CS said that a number of road projects were being done including the Sh28 billion Changamwe interchange and the expansion of the Airport access road.

The CS and team were on a three day tour of projects being done under the 'Mombasa Port Area Development' which involves other major projects not only in Mombasa county but across the coastal region.

 He mentioned that government's plan to dual the Mombasa-Malindi highway in two lots will be done at a cost of Sh15 billion.

Lot one will be from the Nyali Bridge to Mtwapa at a cost of Sh7.5 billion then followed by Mtwapa to Kwa Kazengo in Kilifi at Sh7.5 billion too.

Earlier in the day the CS had toured the Sh.2.2 billion 56 kilometers Bamba-Ganze-Kilifi Highway that was launched by president Uhuru Kenyatta in 2017 promising the residents that the project will be completed in the next three years. 

He stated that the Jubilee government had pumped in close to Sh3.6 trillion in mega investment projects at the Coast to transform the development and economic face of the region.

"The coast region is a hub for tourism, we want to invest here with modern airports, roads, commuter rails and bridges to make sure that we have an alternative from Nairobi to Mombasa in diversifying our development agenda," he said.

He added that they had begun receiving requests from international airlines like KLM and the Turkish Airline to start direct flights to Mombasa.