Mombasa residents are appealing to the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) to hasten the maintenance of the Liwatoni floating bridge to facilitate movement during peak hours.
The floating bridge was closed indefinitely on Friday by KPA to undergo routine maintenance. It was set up during the COVID-19 epoch as one of the government interventions to reduce the spread of the disease at the Likoni crossing channel.
The floating bridge operates during peak hours between 5am to 8am and from 4pm to 8pm.
Residents who have been using the floating bridge to access Mombasa Island since Saturday were forced to use ferries.
The Likoni ferry crossing channel has witnessed an increase in the number of users since the closure of the bridge.
“The indefinite closure of the bridge has inconvenienced most of us. We used to walk from our homes to our place of work without incurring transport costs but now we have been forced to use ferries,” said Fatuma Juma, a domestic worker in Ganjoni.
Martin Omondi says MV Jambo and MV Safari should only carry passengers during peak hours to avert stampedes as the ferries are the only means of accessing Mombasa Island.
“The management of the ferries should give priority to passengers during peak hours. The big ferries should only serve passengers,” said Omondi.
Speaking when launched night pilotage of oil tankers Friday night, KPA Managing Director (MD) Cpt. William Ruto said that engineers were working around the clock to finish the maintenance works of the floating bridge.
“The bridge was put there during the COVID period and it was one of the measures that the government (had) put in place to reduce the COVID pandemic in this country but beginning today, it’s supposed to undergo maintenance because of its condition. We normally undertake some safety checks so that the facility is safe, from today it will undergo some routine maintenance,” said the MD.
The 1.9B floating bridge is a composite structure designed for pedestrians only. The bridge deck comprises a 529 m-long floating section and 54 m-long approaches on either side of the floating span.
The bridge has a discrete-continuous structural system with 35 double-body supported boats, and two end boats with twin springboards installed to form the floating bridge deck.
The floating bridge is connected by pins and hinges and has guard rails on either side of the deck to ensure pedestrian safety.
By Sadik Hassan
