By Paul M. Kanneh
The 75 kilometer stretch of road has been a deathtrap for commuters. The story of travelers on the road link has some of the most interesting accounts of road travels in Liberia for the last six years. Former President Weah, who comes from this region, had to fly by helicopter to get to his home town during the campaign period because of the terrible state of the road.
With this situation, President Boakai, as part of his 100-days deliverable made a conscious decision to put simile on the faces of the people of Maryland and Grand Kru Counties by rehabilitating the road linking the two counties. Latest progress update shows how the Barclayville-Pleebo road is gradually taking shape much to the satisfaction of residents of the two sisterly counties.
The 75km road is under serious maintenance work by the SSF Construction Company. The rehabilitation work is expected to last for 2 years, according to Public Works Officials. Works’ official say the rehabilitation include, road suffice grading, deed-shading, drainage construction and coverts repair, ensuring the gravels are fully compacted. Additionally, technical work includes cambering of the road to about 2-6%.
Cambering means construction of proper drainage of water from the center of the road to ensure safety and comfort for vehicles and pedestrians. With these specifications, the Barclayville-Pleebo road is expected to last for about 3-4 years with regular maintenance. That means citizens of Maryland and Grand Kru Counties will have unhindered access to each other for the next 3-4 years.
The Barclayville-Pleebo road is part of the 12 major highways under rehabilitation across the country. The 12 major highways constitute about 742.5 kilometers, a source at the Ministry of hinted.
Major road corridors under consideration include Salayea-Voinjama (115km by CHICO), Voinjama-Foya (63km by SSF), Foya-Mendikorma (16km by SSF), Tapita-Zwedry (40km by CICO), Zwedru-Karnweakan (115km by CHICO), Barclayville-Pleebo (75km by SSF), Buchanan-ITI (105km), and Buchanan-Saturday Town (30km by Robust Group of Companies). Others are Saturday Town-Cestos Junction (35km) by Agency for Rural Development & Maintenance Services), Cestos Junction-ITI (40km by Mende Construction Company), ITI-Greenville (95km by West Africa Construction Company), Brewerville-Gboae (44.5km by Geoskope Limited and Gboae-Bopolu (44km by BK Enterprise).
