Capitol Hill, Monrovia – President George Weah’s last-minute bid to convince the Legislature to make changes to an existing financial agreement for the construction of the Robert International Airport (RIA) road has been delayed to 2020.
In a communication to the House, President Weah asked the lawmakers to allow him to authorize the Ministry of Public Works to enter into a contractual agreement with the East International Group Incorporated for the construction of the 44km road.
In September 2017, the Legislature ratified a pre-financing agreement between the Government of Liberia and East International Group Inc. for the rigid pavement of a total 65.5 Kilometers of roads.
This includes 24 Kilometers of existing secondary roads from Klay to DC Clarke in Bomi County and 51 Km of selected neighborhood or community roads in Monrovia and its environs.
President Weah said since then, 21 Km of these roads have been paved, while about 44 Km are yet to be implemented.
The President is now asking for the remaining 44 Km to be diverted to the RIA road. He said the decision follows a careful review of the agreement and the urgent need for immediate work on the RIA road.
A portion of the agreement, he noted, calls for its review “every two years to make the necessary adjustments in any change in circumstances, but before that could happen, it shall be approved by the Legislature.
Giving more reasons for the change, he noted the RIA road which is the gateway to the nations’ Capital is in a “technically challenging state and stands in need of urgent reconstruction works so as to guarantee its safety, continuous pliability, modernity and elevation to the acceptable international standard.”
“Honorable Representatives, I need not remind you about the countless numbers of unfortunate flood incidents and traffic accidents that have taken place along this corridor because of its current challenging state. Immediate intervention is therefore required to avoid these untenable occurrences,” the President pleaded with the Legislature.
But despite the President’s passionate appeal, members of the House voted in favor of a motion to send his communication to the Joint Committee on Investment and Concession, Public Works and Judiciary to report in January 2020.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Committee on Investment and Concession at the House, Rep. Tibelrosa Tarponweh (Margibi Co. District #1) has welcomed the President’s communication, but call for a critical review of the agreement before approval.
Rep. Tarponweh’s has been a leading advocate for the expansion and electrification of the RIA road which passes in his district; something he started prior to his election in 2017.
The 28-mile narrow-than-usual one-lane road is considered a death trap, especially at night. It is without street lights and a distinct sidewalk.
Unfortunately, most of the people being killed or injured are vulnerable road users, especially pedestrians from nearby towns. Some unfortunate publicized accidents were the deaths of Rep. Adolph Lawrence, whose life was cut short when he drove into a parked truck near Disco Hill and Cyril Allen Jr. from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry who died from similar incident.