President Bio Champions Four-Lane Road Project

By Mackisal

Ongoing work on the Masiaka–Bo/Kenema Highway has commenced following a recent presidential town hall meeting held in Makeni, where concerns were raised about the narrowness of the roads from Masiaka to Bo/Kenema, as well as from Masiaka to Makeni via Kabala. In what were described as pressing issues, citizens at the town hall meeting called on President Julius Maada Bio to consider expanding the roads between Masiaka and Bo/Kenema and between Masiaka and Makeni via Kabala to four lanes. Expressing their frustration, residents noted that the narrowness of these roads frequently results in accidents that claim lives, and they argued that there are strong reasons for expansion.

In his response, President Julius Maada Bio assured the public that his government would do everything possible to address these concerns, which he believes will help save lives and minimize accidents in those areas. During a trip to the provinces, a group of journalists from print and electronic media observed survey work being conducted by engineers. As journalists with a keen nose for news, they conducted interviews to learn the rationale behind the surveys.

Abubakar Kamara, Operations Manager for Pavifort Sierra Leone and Liberia, who was on the ground, told journalists that they are working on a four-lane road project starting from the Masiaka to Bo/Kenema Highway, which will be constructed under a build, operate, and transfer model. He noted that the project will also extend to Makeni and Kabala and will take between five and six years to complete. Kamara added that these are priority projects for President Bio, designed to create more opportunities in the provinces while ensuring road safety and reducing accidents.

The project will take five to six years due to the complexity of the work, including swamp treatment, bridge construction, and other external tasks. He added that another project connecting to Lungi International Airport will commence from Songo to Tasso Island through bridge construction. Kamara explained that because of the high costs, the government cannot finance these projects singlehandedly; therefore, Pavifort will pre-finance them and implement a toll system to maintain the roads after construction.

Assessing the progress, journalists were impressed to see heavy machinery and tools lined up in readiness for the job, which is expected to reach full operational status before December. Pavifort Chief Executive Officer Alimu Barrie stated that these roads are part of President Julius Maada Bio’s priority projects. Barrie explained that this was also discussed during the President’s recent visit to the Torma Bum Rice Farm project while assessing the irrigation canals constructed by Pavifort. The total cost for the three projects is yet to be determined, as ongoing surveys and feasibility studies are still being conducted by the engineers.