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30 selected streets within Freetown will benefit from a road reconstruction project designed to be undertaken by the Government of Sierra Leone through the Sierra Leone Roads Authority (SLRA).

This development was disclosed during the official handing over ceremony of this project to CSE by the President, Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma, last week.

According to SLRA Director, Munda Rogers, 30 streets totaling 25km will be reconstructed to modern roads to allow proper utilization of these roads networks within the city.

The dynamic SLRA Director heaped praises on President Koroma for being one of initiator of the said project, as according to him, roads in the city were in a dilapidated state.

“President Koroma informed me sometime back about the very bad state of roads in the city,” said Munda Rogers, Director SLRA.

The main aim for reconstruction of these roads, he said was to foster better economic growth in the city as better roads, he said, will reduce traffic congestion and help move business faster.

According to the SLRA Chief, it will also put a stop the cutting of pipes and other wires on the road by Guma, Sierratel etc because provision will be made for them under this new roads project.

The 30 selected streets in Freetown are divided in three zones with 5 in the west, 9 in the central part of Freetown and 16 s in the east. They include Parsonage Street, City Road, Wellington, Guy Street, New Castle Street, Blackhall Road, Caulker Street, Sayenu Road, Industrial Estate, Kennedy Street, Thunder Hill Road, Magazine Cut, Hagan Street, Texaco, Water Street (Peacock Farm), Robis Road and Congo Water, all in the east. In the West include, Byrne Lane, Collegiate School Road, Freetown Road, Aberdeen Road and Aberdeen Village Road. While in the central side, Mends Street, George Brook, Dundas Street, Duke Street, King Street, Victoria Street, Berwick Street, Elk Street, Kingtom Ring Road.

Handing the project over to CSE for work execution, President Ernest Bai Koroma stated that roads, infrastructure is one of the main priorities of his government since he took over power in 2007. The President told the huge crowd gathered at Kissy Police Field that the agenda for change was prepared by his government to work with the dreams and aspiration of the people of Sierra Leone by providing them their basic needs. Under this Agenda for Change the government, he said, placed energy, infrastructure, agriculture, health and education as key focus areas where enough strength and resources, he said, will be directed. Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma said that the reconstruction of these roads was a major concern to his government as he had earlier promised the people of Sierra Leone.

“This project is today putting in to practice what I had earlier promised during my campaign trail”, the president said.

President Bai Koroma further disclosed that the 25km reconstruction will not be the end as his government is sleeplessly trying to get donor support for another 60km of roads to be reconstructed. He also informed his audience that this roads reconstruction project is solely controlled by the Sierra Leone government when he said, “all money for this is project is 100% government money.”

The President also told this audience one of the main reasons for poor roads in the city is because most roads project in the country where in a haphazard state when the APC took over power. However, the new government, he said, has tried its best to change them and make them real.

President Koroma also highlighted some of the roads projects that his government is currently engaged in. Amongst them, he said was, the Lumley-Tokeh Road which is going to be a four way road up to Adonkia. The Kenema-Koindu Highway, the Rogbere-Kambia road project and others.

The city roads under construction, the president assured, will be reconstructed into a first class roads equipped with all modern roads facilities and also with street lights in the future.

“I will not accept sub standard roads” President Koroma said.

On his part, the C.S.E representative promised to provide Sierra Leoneans with good roads within the specified timeframe. This, he said, will be done by applying both enough human and mechanized resources in order to fast track the projects. He however stated that one major challenge facing this project is the provision of labour force.

The acting mayor of Freetown Municipality Gibril Kanu praised SLRA and called on CSE to help Sierra Leone fight its high problem of unemployment. This, he said could be done by employing Sierra Leonean youths as a backup tp other foreign nationals that would be employed by the company.