There are visible signs of hope for completion of bridges along manual cable ferry crossing points at Mattru Jong, Monowa, Gendema and Tompare in the northern, south and eastern provinces where the government of Sierra Leone through SCADeP under the Ministry of Agriculture and Food security is constructing bridges to replace derelict hand drawn ferries along major rivers in the country.

As part of it six monthly Implementation Support Mission, the World Bank Group in Sierra Leone through its country Task Team Leader Dr. Olatunji Oredekpe in consonant with the Ministry of Agriculture and food Security, the Sierra Leone Roads Authority (SLRA), the SCADeP Project Coordinating Unit and consultant engineers undertake period field visits to the bridges project sites to undertake first hand assessment of progress in the ongoing construction process.

In all the sites, visible progress was witness including completion of sub structures such as the foundation on which the piers are built and major super structures such as the abutments the Piers and deck caps. In a matter of weeks the steel girders which are already on sites are going to be fully launched although launching has commenced at the Mattru bridge site.

Speaking at the Mattru site Fang Ji Qui Chief engineer for Sino-Hydro company undertaking the construction said that since they commenced work since last March a lot has been achieved noting that all major components of the construction has been completed and that they would laucned the steel beams by the next two weeks. He also noted that all the materials needed for the completion of the bridge are on site and the bridges will be completed fully by February 2025.

Deputy Project Manger of the Al-Own HDF Joint Venture company constructing the Tompare and Manowa bridges Chernor Mamadou Diouf stated at the Manowa site that the foundations had been completed and ten piles which were to be constructed has been done and that the girders have been supplied on site. He said that the Launching platform of the girders have been completed and that the girders will be launched in the next two months and the pre casts of the deck elements will also be done. He said by March 2025, the bridge, approach roads, drainages and road furniture’s would have been completed noting that the duration of the bridges will be minimum fifty years but will last for a century. He emphasised that the four bridges are of very high standards.

Project Coordinator Mr. Sulaiman Sesay while explaining the importance of the Implementation Support Mission noted that the construction of the bridges is in response to one of the four components of his project which is market Access Improvement. He noted that the span of Mattru Jong bridge is 160 meters with a with of 11.5 meters two carriage way roads and a ffot path for pedestrians. Tompare in Karene district he said is 180 meters long, Gendema in Kenema is 121 Meters long and Manowa in Kailahun 160 meters long with  11. 5 meters width and two carriage ways.

He also revealed that there are additional three conceptual designs of bridges which SCADeP had done and will be done by another project. The mission he noted will look into key milestones towards the completion of the bridges.

Dr. Olatunji Oredikpe, Country Task team Leader on the agric desk at the World Bank and for the SCADeP project giving his impression highlighted SCADeP as a flagship project for both the World bank and the government of Sierra Leone that is doing many things at the same time. He noted that SCADeP has also been used as a platform to build rural connectivity and is very important to both the world bank and the government of Sierra Leone.

He explained that supervision of the project is very important and that they come around every six months to see progress in the field. “Today, I am a happy person coming to the site, seeing the speed of work and seeing the momentum we have already generated. I am very inspired that well ahead of June 30th 2025 this project will be able to come to an end and deliver on the bridges” He said