The Lumley-Juba bridge by-pass project is near completion, which hopefully will ease traffic congestion during rush hours. Secon, a local construction company, was charged with the responsibility to construct a by-pass bridge to link the Lumley community and Juba residents, because the existing Juba bridge constructed during the 1980’s is now too small for the increase in vehicular traffic. Secon was awarded the contract, which started sometime last year. President Bio re-launched the project through the Ministry of Works and Public Assets officially. At the project site, drainages and culverts have been constructed from the Lumley Atlantic Road onto the point where the bridge stands, over a stretch of water. According to site surveyor, Mustapha Dabeni, all major work on the bridge, which stands on four solid heavy concrete foundation and a heavy steel carriageway with aluminum rails, to act as guard bars for ensured safety. “We start work very early in the morning till late, and we use materials that are in conformity to building a standard bridge,” he said. He added that Secon is to complete and hand over the 1km stretch of road and bridge to Government on 30th April 2019. As a result of the increase in population in the centre of the city, many citizens are migrating to the city’s western area peninsula. This move started over a 10-year period and has made travelling the 13-mile stretch to and from Freetown’s centre very difficult. When the Secon bridge is complete there will be two bridges to link citizens from the city centre to the western area peninsula. Aminata Sesay resides in the community where the bridge will link Lumley and Juba trading in fish. She said despite the inconvenience while the construction is on-going, she was hopeful “the burden of going round Lumley to get to Goderich to buy fish,” will be eased as she “will use the new bridge which will easily link me to Cassava farm, which is not too far from Goderich.”
AC/17/1/19
By Ade Campbell
Friday January 18, 2019.