Two Senators from the Liberian Senate have expressed their delight over the level of construction work being done at the Robert’s International Highway (RIA) road by EAST International Construction Company.
The Senate Public Works committee chairman, Edwin Melvin Snowe of Bomi County, and Senator Saah Joseph of Montserrado County, made known their feelings about the road during an unannounced site seeing visit on the RIA road.
The Senators, Tuesday, February 21, 2023, during a tour of the road which is being constructed by the EAST International Construction Company disclosed that their unannounced visit to the site was a mandate from the plenary of the Liberian Senate which is the highest decision making body.
Sen. Snowe heading the delegation told journalists that, “Contrary to what we were told by the minister, the independent committee is showing us something else and our independent visit is also showing us something else.”
“The committee is a technical committee. So, after today’s visit we will put our findings together and submit our final report to the Senate plenary. What we see here today on our unannounced tour looks impressive. We also have engineers contracted by the committee who will also make another unannounced visit, but what we see here today looks impressive,” he added.
However, in December of 2022, Public Works Minister, Ruth Coker-Collins while appearing before the Senate’s Public Works committee, informed them that East International, the company carrying-on the construction work on the RIA road, had obvious frailties and was technically incapable to do the work in line with the contract.
But according to Senator Snowe, preliminary reports received by the committee sounds conflicting to what the committee was told by the Public Works Minister.
“The committee will sit and look at the details but what I see here today I am impressed. I am impressed with the thickness of the base course done by the Company compare to what is existing.
“Another thing about the road is the wideness of the road. It’s going to look exactly like the Japanese’s road constructed on the freeway,” he added.
Meanwhile, despite commending EAST International for the level of work being done, Senator Saah Joseph also stressed the need for the company to consider creating detours by rehabilitating community road.
This, he maintained would help alleviate the traffic constraints faced by pedestrians including moving vehicles, motorcycles and Kehkeh among others.
It can be recalled that back in February of 2020, President George M. Weah broke grounds for the expansion and pavement of 45km road linking Monrovia to the country’s only International Airport.
The project was implemented through a China-Liberia joint venture with East International Group and China Railways being the contractors, and is worth money in the tune of US$95 million.
Source: africanentertainment.com
