New bridge planned for Kenya’s port of Mombasa

Planning is being carried out for the new Mombasa Gate Bridge project, which is expected to cost close to US$778 million. The bridge will connect Mombasa Island with the South Coast, replacing a ferry operation, which first began operation in 1937. The feasibility study for the 1.4km bridge is now complete and construction of the link is expected to take 36 months to complete. The project calls for the construction of a cable stayed bridge that will carry four traffic lanes and be 69m high at mid-point, leaving sufficient space for shipping to pass underneath so as to access the busy Kilindini area of the port. Mombasa’s drivers will be pleased to see the less than dependable ferry service being replaced by a bridge and the project is expected to improve transport and traffic flows in Mombasa significantly. The new bridge will run from Lumumba Road and span the Likoni Channel at Mwenza Creek and connect to the A14 at Mtongwe. Two bridges connect the north side of Mombasa Island to the mainland but the southern link at Likoni has been suffered from congestion and delays for many years with insufficient maintenance of the ferries having posed a problem in recent times.