By Alpha Abu
The Director General of the Sierra Leone Roads Authority, Amara Kanneh in a status review of the country’s road network during the government’s weekly press conference said that the rehabilitation of the Bo- Bandajuma and construction of the stretch leading to the Mano River Union Bridge close to the Liberia border is to be completed at the end of this year.
He explained that work on the road slowed down because of its realignment to avoid interfering with the Forest Reserve’s habitat which the European Union had warned against. Another road that is to be completed this 2021 is the one from Moyamba Junction to Moyamba town, according to the SLRA boss but said the main task now is the construction of four bridges.
Kanneh said work is at an advanced stage on the Pendembu – Kailahun road with two bridges along the way being addressed. He promised that by 31st March 2022 work would have finished and only ancillary work such as fixing of road signs and markings would be complete.
“Lumley-Tokeh road (along the Freetown Peninsula) has been a thorn in the flesh for some time now ‘’, the SLRA boss noted ,with four directors unsuccessful in trying to complete that important route due to various challenges including payments to owners of properties affected on the way. Those issues have now been put behind them he said and that the road will be ready before the end of 2021.
Other roads almost close to completion are the Hillside-Byepass and Limkokwing –Regent. For the Mabang Bridge linking Songo and Moyamba town work is ongoing with the abutment on the Songo end completed already and the one for the Mabang side to be finished in due course.
He spoke of some road construction work in Bonthe and the effort they have made to bank the seafront there, in the face of persistent erosion over the years.
Kanneh added that, the Calaba town – Masiaka road is also nearing completion. He used the occasion to highlight concerns over poor handling of the roads by the public citing as an example the use of sideways as garage and the destruction of the pavements.
On other ventures being taken by the SLRA , the Director General said those roads described as Class B or secondary which are mostly unpaved, and connecting roads which link up with the “Class A’’ or trunk paved roads that pass through cities and towns, are being earmarked for vast improvements. He explained that the government has embarked on opening up those “connectors” that have already been identified so as to make travel of people and goods within the country easier without having to needlessly make unrealistically long journeys just to reach another part of the country. Kanneh also disclosed that 40 contracts have been issued out to companies for upgrading of those unpaved routes. They are going to be what he described as not just earth roads but “properly engineered ones.” He said when funds are available they will be transformed into all-weather roads. On another note he disclosed that the Vehicle Load Management Policy developed in 2015 was being reviewed as it has been realised that it was not in line with the standards of the regional grouping ECOWAS.
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