NAIROBI - Kenya's state road construction authority on Thursday signed a $173 million deal with a Chinese firm for the development of a key road aimed at easing the traffic congestion in the capital city Nairobi.

The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) signed an agreement with the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) for the development of the Western Bypass as a high capacity expressway.

"The proposed four-lane highway measuring 16.5km with design speed of 100 km/hour will be connected with the Nairobi Southern Bypass. It will involve constructions of interchanges and overpasses,"KeNHA said in a statement issued in Nairobi.

The Western Bypass has been identified as a link necessary for the completion of a system of ring roads around Nairobi City to disperse traffic away from the Nairobi central business district.

China's has made great efforts in helping Kenya build its infrastructure, which has touched on the lives of many Kenyans as well as different sectors of the economy.

It all started with the $294 million Thika superhighway, which is part of the major road network in Kenya and also the standard gauge railway which is the biggest infrastructure project in Kenya since independence.