Officials of the Ministry of Works and Public Assets (MWPA) and the Sierra Leone Roads Authority (SLRA) have on Thursday June 4, 2020, conducted an inspection tour on the Wellington-Masiaka Road, which is currently being constructed by the China Railway Seventh Group (CRSG).
Minister of Works and Public Assets, Peter Bayuku Konteh, thanked the authorities of CRSG for their contributions toward the fight against COVID-19, and told them that the road is very important to the government. He further mentioned that the great importance of the project under the “New Direction” administration, is demonstrated in the Government’s keenness in ensuring that all agreements within the contract are strictly followed, noting that in the contract, three market centres should be constructed in Hastings, Waterloo and Masiaka.
Similarly, he said, a training camp for Sierra Leonean youth should also be constructed.
The Minister, who had gone there to know the progress made and challenges faced by CRSG so far, urged the authorities of the latter to complete the work before Christmas of 2020.
He said in the “New Direction” government, whenever the contractors say to construct one kilometre road costs US$1m, they would not come back to the people and tell them that the road cost US$4m.
“We are not in power to enrich ourselves. All the roads we are constructing are of good quality. We are better than our predecessors in this regard,” he claimed.
SLRA’s Deputy Director General, Engineer Abdulai Ansumana, said the project, has three phases, adding that Phase I and III are of urban design which include covered side drains and pedestrian walkways, and Phase II is of highway design, which does not have the features of an urban design.
He said the road, which would have been completed in April 2020 but had delayed because of the sudden emergency of COVID-19, is 70 percent complete.
CRSG’s Project Manager in charge of Wellington-Masiaka Highway Project, Jiang said that currently, the safety of both commuters and vehicles has been improved, while traffic congestion has been reduced.
He mentioned that the construction exercise has been delayed because of the payment of compensation to property owners, relocation of fiber optic cables, COVID-19, amongst others, adding that since COVID-19, they have been receiving materials for the work from China very late.
Jiang also said their income generation from the tollgates has been very low as a result of COVID-19, noting that many heavy-duty trucks bye-pass the tollgates even though they have reduced the cost of the tollgate for a period of 90 days.
Head of the Ceremonial Chiefs in Koya Chiefdom Port Loko District in North-Western Sierra Leone, Chief Komrabai Kargbo, thanked the government of President Julius Maada Bio for ensuring that compensations were being paid to property owners along the road without any problem.
By Joseph S. Margai (Strategic Communications Coordinator, Office of the President)
10/6/2020. ISSUE NO.: 7842