The 27.12km Nairobi Expressway is fitted with 54 high-definition traffic cameras.
Cliff Omanga, one of those tasked with manning the monitoring centre, said the entire road is monitored every 30 minutes and recordings are done.
“In case of an emergency like broken down vehicles, there is a quick dispatch of traffic police, fire personnel and ambulance,” he said.
Response time for emergencies is at least 20 minutes, according to Omanga.
The Sh87 billion project was launched by retired President Uhuru Kenyatta on July 31, 2022.
It was constructed under the build-operate-transfer contract, meaning that China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) was to build and operate the expressway for 27 years to recoup the money it has spent to establish it.
CRBC is set to pocket Sh106.8 billion as profit for 27 years. After 27 years, CRBC will hand over the project to the government.
The road has 11 toll stations and 54 toll plazas with 54 cameras.
More than 12 million vehicles have so far used the expressway.
On average, about 50,000 vehicles make use of the Nairobi Expressway in a day, a fivefold increment from the beginning of the trial operations on May 14, 2022.
With the completion of the multibillion-shilling project, it takes between 15 and 20 minutes to cover the 27km stretch which starts from African Inland Church in Mlolongo, all the way to James Gichuru on Waiyaki Way.
The road has manual toll collection and electronic toll collection.
Electronic toll collection remains the most preferred payment method on the Nairobi Expressway, with more than 130,000 subscribers.
The platform is not only fast but also saves fuel and reduces the wear and tear on motor vehicles.
At the moment, those who have subscribed to the platform enjoy a five per cent discount per trip while using the expressway, among other offers.
Moja, the company running the expressway, is in the process of seeking ways to incorporate the M-Pesa payment method into their platforms.
Omanga said the toll collection is monitored to ensure efficiency, smooth workflow and proper handling of special circumstances and tolling, according to the Nairobi Expressway Policy.
The monitoring centre, which operates 24 hours, has four telephones.
Traffic information is provided to the users as well as traffic policies, among others.
Inside the monitoring room, there is a telephone for reporting any emergency like broken down vehicles or accidents.
The monitoring centre has nine staff members working in shifts.
There’s a smart monitoring system that detects congestion, spillage, vehicle reversals, pedestrian crossings and emergencies.
The dual carriageway has 11 interchanges at Mlolongo, Standard Gauge Railway, JKIA, Eastern Bypass, Southern Bypass, Capital Centre, Haile Selassie Avenue, Museum Hill, Westlands and James Gichuru Road.
The expressway, with 18.2km on the ground and 8.9km elevated, is a class A, four-lane dual carriageway with a design speed of 80km per hour.
The trial period for the Nairobi Expressway started on May 14 to July 30 last year.
The trial phase was to assess the project and establish what needs to be done to enable effective service delivery.
Users have to pay between Sh100 and Sh1,500 to use the expressway.
The estimated toll per kilometre of the 27.1km road is Sh11.50.
The toll ranges between Sh6 and Sh30 per kilometre depending on the size of the vehicle.
The charges will depend on the type of vehicle and entry and exit points.
Motorists on light vehicles with two axles will pay between Sh100 and Sh300, depending on entry and exit points.
Those on light vehicles with two axles and a high bonnet will pay Sh150 to Sh450, also depending on entry and exit points.
Motorists driving on the expressway from AIC Mlolongo to the Standard Gauge Railway, Syokimau, or Eastern Bypass will part with Sh160.
Drivers with heavy vehicles with fewer than four axles will pay between Sh400 and Sh1,200.
Those with heavy vehicles with more than four axles will pay Sh500 to Sh1,500, depending on entry and exit points.
Some vehicles are however exempted from paying toll fees.
These include ambulances, police vehicles and military vehicles.
Boda bodas and tuk tuks are banned from using the road.