BARCLAYVILLE, Grand Kru – The Ministry of Public Works has begun rehabilitating the 75-km stretch of road from Barclayville, Grand Kru to Pleebo, Maryland.
The roads in the southeast of Liberia are among the most inaccessible in the country. So dilapidated are the roads that former president George Weah, who hails from Grand Kru, had to fly by helicopter to get to his hometown while campaigning during the 2023 elections. Other legislators and politicians traveled through Ivory Coast to gain access to their respective counties during the campaign period.
President Joseph Boakai has prioritized the rehabilitation of major road corridors across the country as part of his 100-day deliverables. During his State of the Nation address on January 29, he assured the nation that no car would get stuck in the mud.
He is making good on that promise, as a delegation from the Ministry of Public Works was recently in Barclayville to meet with local government officials as they launched the Barclayville-Pleebo road rehabilitation. According to the Public Works’ resident engineer in Grand Kru, Anthony Gbesi, the work is undertaken by the SSF Construction Company and is expected to last for two years.
He confirmed that the rehabilitation would include road surface grading, drainage construction, and culvert repair. When complete, road users should have unhindered access to the Barclayville-Pleebo road for up to four years.
“When the works are completed, it will bring economic relief to our people and [an] increase in agriculture activities,” Gbesi added.
The stretch of road is part of the 12 major highways under rehabilitation across the country by the Public Works Ministry, constituting 742 km of roads. Those corridors include Salayea-Voinjama (115 km), Voinjama-Foya (63 km), Foya-Mendikorma (16 km), Tappita-Zwedru (40 km), Zwedru-Karnweaken (115 km), Barclayville-Pleebo (75 km), Buchanan-ITI (105 km), Buchanan-Saturday Town (30 km), Saturday Town-Cestos Junction (35 km), Cestos Junction-ITI (40 km), ITI-Greenville (95 km), Brewerville-Gboae (44.5 km), and Gboae-Bopolu (44 km).
Meanwhile, the assistant superintendent for development, Joe M.Sekpeh, applauded the government for paying attention to the southeast even though Boakai won less than 10 percent of the votes in that region.
Assistant Superintendent for Development Joe M. Sekpeh commended the government for its attention to the southeast and urged Grand Kru residents to take ownership of the project. He pledged that his office would diligently monitor and implement all development projects within the county.
Featured photo by James Suah
