SIERRA LEONE ROADS AUTHORITY
PUBLIC NOTICE
The Ministry of Works and Public Assets (MWPA) and the Sierra Leone Roads Authority (SLRA), wish to inform the general public that, following photos making rounds on social media about an alleged failure on the Old Railway Line Bridge in Brookfields, West of Freetown, a team of Senior Engineers from the Sierra Leone Roads Authority, headed by the Deputy Director General, immediately visited the site and conducted further assessment on the bridge.
The flowing observations were made at the end of the visit:
1. That the alleged failure is not true; it might be the imagination of detractors;
2. That all issues pertaining to the bridge had been earlier captured in our recent report jointly conducted by the Sierra Leone Roads Authority, Office of the National Security, Office of Presidential Infrastructure Initiative, Road Maintenance Fund Administration and the Institution of Engineers;
3. That there is no imminent danger as alleged; the assessment shows that there is no new failure initiated at the expansion joint on the deck of the bridge. The expansion joint which was originally sealed during an asphaltic concrete overlay had initiated transverse cracks which remain the same since the last inspection;
4. That the Old Railway Line Bridge is one of four bridges on which both technical and environmental impact assessments were recently done and recommended for reconstruction;
5. That the foundation of the pier on the Saint John approach has been seriously undermined and therefore requires urgent maintenance intervention, whilst efforts are being made by Government for reconstruction of a new bridge.
6. That a load restriction is recommended for an immediate enforcement by the Government to avoid danger.
Meanwhile, reconstruction works on the collapsed Savage Street Bridge are progressing well.
End!
The Ministry of Works and Public Assets (MWPA) and the Sierra Leone Roads Authority (SLRA), wish to inform the general public that, following photos making rounds on social media about an alleged failure on the Old Railway Line Bridge in Brookfields, West of Freetown, a team of Senior Engineers from the Sierra Leone Roads Authority, headed by the Deputy Director-General, immediately visited the site and conducted further assessment on the bridge.
