Grand Bassa County – The lives of residents in a rural village in Grand Bassa County are expected to be transformed by the ongoing construction of a new bridge that straddles the District which is divided by a creek.
The bridge, which will provide all-season access to both sides of the Nyuwein Administrative District as well as access to markets in Buchanan city and other surrounding towns and villages, is being initiated by Grand Bassa County Senator Jonathan Kaipay under the Legislative Support Project.
The project, supported by the Liberian government, aims to benefit dwellers of the rural Bassa town and surrounding communities by improving access to basic services and facilities through improving connectivity infrastructure.
The location of the bridge construction is more than four hours’ drive from the provincial capital, Buchanan city.
Surrounded by soaring hills and dark green bushes, “the bridge would have a unique beauty when completed” said Senator Kaipay while in route from the village to Buchanan City.
The sturdy steel and concrete bridge would create access to the village and allow easy passage for, vehicles, and pedestrians.
Kaipay told FrontPage Africa during a recent tour that the construction of the bridge would enable inhabitants of surrounding towns and villages within Nyuwein Town to move safely and quickly across the river, which is currently difficult for them.
“Before started this bridge construction, there were only two sticks that served as a bridge that connected both sides of this terrain.
Former Senator Finley constructed another bridge but it is becoming ineffective for travels,” Kaipay recalls.
He said people and vehicles have faced numerous challenges and risks while crossing the bridge currently being used for passage.
“The first phase of the bridge construction is nearing completion.
The phase has included casting of major areas to hold various parts of the bridge together, while the second component is anticipated to begin in a month’s time.
“After that necessary resources would be raised to do the remaining process,” Kaipay asserted.
To date, the Grand Basssa County Senator maintained that there has not been any construction of any similarly structured concrete bridge within that region.
According to him, the bridge construction would feed into the construction of a 40km Road as one of the new sub-projects in Nyuwein Administrative District.
The total cost to complete the ongoing bridge construction, which began in 2016 is estimated at US$170,000 but Kaipay registered that an initial payment of US$80,000 has already been made through the Legislative Support Project.
He believes, these developments would pave the way for access to communications.
“We have already started the negotiation with some GSM Companies, and in the not too distance future, assessments have been done and work is expected to kick-off between now and December in giving the people access to communications,” Kaipay said.
He said central government’s contribution to infrastructure development in that part of Grand Bassa County is very poor as a result of challenges it has faced coupled with its own priorities.
“For me, the fact that we are here and implementing projects speaks a lot about some level of improvement being made,” the Grand Bassa County Senator noted.