By Africa 24 social affairs team

Freetown still faces a deep challenge in terms of good road network as evidenced by some streets marred with loopholes.

At the heart of the commercial capital some private civil engineers are repairing a road in the east of Freetown.

The sad and shameful thing about it is that the said roads at Eastern police junction and many others had been tarred multiple times but they are still in bad condition.

And what appears to be a shame on our faces as Sierra Leoneans is to seeing these roads being paved with concrete instead of tar being applied.

Though engineers might want to argue that the pavement would last long, but it doesn’t look decent to get our streets in the central city to be repaired with concrete.

And the whole exercise itself is causing some discomfort to people and vehicles, preventing the movements of citizens and passengers on mini-buses (poda-poda), cars, buses, lorries.

One morning on weekend (Saturday 7, 2023) there was some work going on at Garrison Street around Eastern police square. Eastern police is known for  a hubbub business activity and so it is having lots of people engaging in selling imported wares such as articles, clothes, foodstuffs, milk, sugar, beverages and other assorted items.

The traffic caused on Saturday almost throughout the day was affecting the smooth flow of motor cars and lorries, and passengers mini-buses at Eastern police axis.

Since the other roads around the city’s Clock Tower had been paved few days ago, going toward the east on Fourah Bay Road, there is need to see other streets like Garrison Street, Abacha Street, Elk Street ( beside The Annie Walsh Memorial Secondary School’s perimeter fence ), to be made good for vehicular movements.

The idea to get these roads up and running is a good one. But, what seems to be the greatest concern expressed by some informed Sierra Leoneans is the “re-making” of the damaged roads with concrete, using metal rods underneath.

Doesn’t it sound so funny to see streets in the main capital being poured out with concrete with metal rods? How long will the pavement last for?

It might not serve long since pavements might get eroded off as rains pour down heavily during season.

And heavy vehicles might also damage or rendered paved roads to be weakened.

One cannot compare the duration that tarred roads may take to the number of periods that concrete roads would last for.

In modern days people don’t talk of concrete roads on busy vehicular streets in the capital.

The method of building concrete roads is, in fact, considered as somewhat ridicule to our Sierra Leoneans by outsiders.

Do we get to see this happening in our countries?

Currently, the roads are being built but drainages and gutters are not built around expanded.

Do the engineers hired to do our roads consider Eastern Police Clock Tower as a place mostly affected by rains?

And concerned authorities must get goods sellers to get rid of the rubbish and trash from the streets thrown by traders after the streets will have been repaired.

We think there is some bad work going on there at Garrison Street around the City’s Clock Tower.