By Mabinty M. Kamara
The Chairman of the Bonthe district Council has called on the government to address the current impassable state at the Bumpeh Bridge leading to the chiefdom headquarter town of Bumpeh Ngao (Tabay) within the shortest possible time, noting the economic standstill it has caused.
A low-bed trailer truck carrying road construction machinery was reported to have broken down on the narrow bridge in the early hours of Thursday morning, as it was trying to drive through, thereby rendering vehicular and human traffic impossible.
“Imagine the amount of foodstuff that comes from this part of the country to serve other places like Bo, Kenema, Freetown, and other places across the country but all have now been stopped due to this blockage,” he said.
Chairman Moses Jode Problyn said the issue has also affected the movement of some workers within Bonthe district including council staff, out on an engagement on the Fiscal decentralization policy and unable to access parts of the district.
He noted that the only alternative route is through Mano Dasseh which he said is very expensive due to the distance. “Here, there is no crossing point for boat because people are not used to it. So if they now have to use a boat, it means they have to take it from another place,” he said.
He reiterated his call for swift action as promised by the Sierra Leone Roads Safety Authority so that the livelihoods of the people are not seriously affected.
The bridge leads to Serabu, Rutile, Mattru Jong, and Bonthe Island among other major towns in the Southern region of Sierra Leone, joining six Chiefdoms of Sumbuya, Kpanda Kemoh, Monkeleh, Mano Dasseh on the Sewa River end and Kowa and Gbo on the Moyamba section with the regional headquarter Bo.
The Colonial bridge was constructed in 1956.
The Sierra Leone Roads Authority in a press statement yesterday officially announced the temporal closure of the said bridge from vehicular traffic, noting that mechanisms were already in place in partnership with the Engineering Regiment of the Sierra Leone Armed Forces, to remove the stationed vehicle from the bridge by today, Friday.
“Immediately after that, a full-scale technical assessment of damage on the bridge will be conducted. The result will help the authority to immediately carry out repairs on the bridge in the shortest possible time,” he said.
The statement also admonished motorists who wished to travel from Mattru Jong to use the Tiama-Sembehun road instead until the bridge is fit for purpose while committing to address the situation as soon as possible.
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