George Bush Bridge Dedicated in Barclayville
Forum
Monrovia, Liberia
Distributed by
The Perspective
Atlanta, Georgia
The bridge, according to the embassy press release, provides land access direct link to Barclaysville-Grand Kru’s remote capital – across the River Nuh. The presence of the bridge will provide access for humanitarian agencies and government to improve economic vitality to the region.
It will further the peacekeepers’ ability to enhance the rule of law and provide protection as well as allow isolated inhabitants of the area to link with neighboring communities. “It will help the local market economy and ensure better access to health care,” the release further noted.
The bridge is one of the first major infrastructure project successfully completed within the 90 days of the newly elected government of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
The George W. Bush Bridge supports the Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Public Works (MOPW) in the infrastructure sector, with generous funding from the United States Agency for International Development(USAID) and implemented by United Nations Office for Project Services(UNOPS) in cooperation with United Nations Mission in Liberia(UNMIL), it has initiated development that has not reached Grand Kru County.
Road rehabilitation and bridge construction link previously unconnected towns of Topo and Barclayville in Grand Kru County and allow access for government and humanitarian agencies to enhance basic services and the rule of law in the county for the first time in several decades.
Project implementation has followed the rural access strategy of providing targeted temporary employment to vulnerable groups through the adoption of a labor-based approach in the construction of the bridge, utilizing both manpower and heavy machinery.
In order to expedite the construction process, the project encompassed
erection of a 60 m pre-fabricated bailey-type steel bridge, which has been
completed and is facilitating the movement of traffic across the Nuh River.
The bridge, named in honor of the American President George W. Bush which
was chosen by local community leaders, owes credit to the people of Grand
Kru, who worked tirelessly to ensure completion under difficult circumstances
and extreme conditions in this remote area of the country.
The large engineering project required one year and US$1.3m created jobs for a core of 100 full-time team and hundreds of part-time laborers. These include vulnerable groups of war affected persons, disabled and former fighters from Grand Kru, Maryland and Sinoe Counties of Southeastern Liberia.