13 March, 2008

Sierra Express, Freetown

SLRA Lives Up to Expectations

The show of zest in accomplishing its mandate of maintaining the country's road infrastructure, Sierra Leone Roads Transport Authority (SLRA) has won admiration and laurel for this country, an institution once termed as ineffective and non performer.

In recent weeks, if one goes through the city, quite a significant progress in road maintenance has been realized especially on the city roads and streets repairs and maintenance. Our reporter had an inquisitive feeling and was urged to do some investigations. He found out that, few weeks back, the Western Area Maintenance team put together a two-phased pre-mix patching exercise for Freetown roads. The phase I (one) roads of 12 streets included: King Street, Macdonald Street, West Street, Abort Street, Macauley Street, Murray Town, Asora Street, A.J. Momoh Street, Mountain Cut, Fourah Bay Road, Dundas Street and Spur Road; all have been maintained thus eradicating the numerous pot-holes for smooth riding.

On completion of the phase I (one) roads the team zealously picked up the phase II roads which comprise, Adelaide Street, Syke Street, Signal Hill Road, Regent Road, Malamah, Main Motor Road and Savage Street, where repair works have now gravitated from premix patching to overlay on Savage Street. This exercise is expected to finish by the ending of March. At the East End of the City, SLRA Contractor, BAO Ltd, in its endeavor to resume the overlay exercise on roads, has now begun from the Kissy Ferry Terminal unto PWD Junction where the crew will restart the overlay on the Wellington Old Road, the exercise which was put on hold last year when the rains set in. Other linking roads like; Parsonage Street, Barracks Road and Rokupa link are also scheduled for overlay no sooner the drainage exercise on them is complete. What is worth noting, according to our reporter, is the progressive concreting of side drains works at Wilberforce Village, a project contracted to Ibra Bang’s Enterprises and that of Dwarzack Farm Road drainage construction. According to the SLRA Engineer supervising the exercise, there is the possibility for overlay of the Dwarzack Farm road when the cross drains works are complete.

Outside Freetown, the Bridges and Ferries Unit, headed by Chief Engineer, Sahr Gbembo, has carried out repairs on the Rogbere Bridge along the Makeni Highway where guard rails, side walk railings and crash barriers got damaged following a vehicular accident. The Dortu Yea timber deck bridge between Bo and Yele where depreciating timber decking had hampered traveling on that road has had its timbers replaced thus restoring sanity and safety for travelers; until such time when the design for concrete decking for the bridge gain approval.

The Feeder road component under the Infrastructural Development (IDP) for the rehabilitation of 214.60km feeder roads in the Kono, Bombali, Kailahun, and Tonkolili Districts has already commenced. On February 10th this year various contractors for the rehabilitation of the feeder roads project signed works contract and have been handed over to the road sites for commencement of work.

Stay with Sierra Express Media, for your trusted place in news!