By Emmanuel Koffa
GRAND KRU – A major bridge, the Chehgbatee Bridge, linking Grand Kru and Sinoe Counties in Liberia’s southeastern region, is badly damaged and nearing collapse, according to our reporter in Grand Kru.
Residents and local leaders are expressing concerns over the condition of the damaged bridge, which according to them is a vital transportation link between Buah Geeken, in Grand Kru County and Sinoe County.
If nothing is urgently done to repair the bridge, residents and local leaders in those areas, have expressed fear that people in those parts of the country could be cut off sooner than later.
The Chehgbatee Bridge, a wooden structure, mostly made of logs, is the main access point for trade and travel for people residing on the Grand Kru side of the bridge. But it has been deteriorating over time, with locals now expressing fear that if the bridge is left unattended to collapse, several communities could be isolated and this would pose more hardship on people residing and commuting in these areas.
Francis Choloplah, a resident of the Chehgbatee Community, lamented that local farmers, traders, and especially commercial motorbike riders, and students, are among those who stand to be most affected should the bridge collapse, adding that this would complicate their movements and hamper economic activities in the area.
According to Choloplah, Chehgbatee Bridge is a critical infrastructure component in the far southeastern region, for thousands of residents, who he said rely on it to commute daily, transport goods, and access essential services.
“The situation is alarming; residents and citizens who rely on this route for transportation and to access essential services could be seriously affected if this bridge goes down,” he emphasized.
Chehgbatee Bridge, a vital transport link between Buah Geeken, in Grand Kru and Sinoe County, has been severely damaged and rendered impassable.
As a result, locals in those areas are faced with the major challenge of disruption in their routine activities, especially commercial-related activities, Choloplah told a local radio station, Voice of Grand Kru recently.
Concerned citizens, mostly businesspeople in those areas also told Voice of Grand Kru, “If the bridge goes down completely, many of us will be cut off from our families and our livelihoods.”
“This bridge is not just a structure; it’s our lifeline,” said Farta Collie, a local businesswoman.
Heavy rains and lack of proper maintenance have exacerbated the damage done to the bridge, prompting residents to request immediate action from national leaders, especially members of the Grand Kru Legislative Caucus and other relevant authorities to urgently carry out needed repair works for the fast-collapsing Chehgbatee Bridge.
“We are calling on the Government to intervene before it’s too late,” said J. Kartubadinojah Onnoh, an Inspector of the Grand Kru Marketing Association, who added; “We cannot wait until the bridge collapses to act.”
Meanwhile, officials of the Ministry of Public Works (MPW) have acknowledged the calls from citizens for prompt response aimed at urgently repairing the damaged bridge, as the MPW’s Resident Engineer in Grand Kru, Bill S. Parkar has told Rural Reporters News Network (RRNN) will shortly be deployed to evaluate the structural integrity of the damaged bridge.
However, citizens and residents of the affected areas are demanding swift action, indicating that in the past; officials have made similar promises but have failed to fulfill same for years.
In the meantime, residents of Chehgbatee and other surrounding areas have taken it upon themselves to embark upon temporary measures including clearing of nearby alternative routes and the establishment of a local committee to monitor the damaged bridge’s condition.
Citizens and local leaders are coming together to raise awareness about their plight, mostly using community radio stations to attract national attention to the pressing need for repair works to urgently be carried out on the damaged bridge.
As RRNN went to press, alternative routes were limited to citizens and residents of the affected areas, as the risk of isolation should the Chehgbatee Bridge collapse looms.
Edited by Oland Testimony Zeongar
