The Japan Freeway, formerly Somalia Drive, which runs from the Freeport of Monrovia area into the commercial city of Redlight, was officially dedicated to the government and people of Liberia on July 26, 2021, spicing up the Independence Day activities and putting smiles on the faces of the many commuters of the road once characterized by traffic jam.
On Independence Day, President George M. Weah, along with the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Nathaniel McGill, the Acting Minister of Public Works, Ruth Coker-Collins, and other members of his government, as well as the Japanese Ambassador accredited to Monrovia, H.E. Tsutomu Himeno, the Chief Representative of the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Yasumichi Araki, the contractor, Dai Nippon Construction, and the general public, graced the official dedication of phase two of the Project for the Reconstruction of the Somalia Drive in Monrovia.
In a summary of the project, the Government of Liberia (GOL) noted that the project contributes to the road and bridge objectives of the government’s “Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD)”, which commits to rehabilitate, reconstruct and construct primary, secondary, feeder and urban roads, and that it is one of the Ministry of Public Works’ deliverables in the PAPD, which obligates it to rehabilitate and construct 55 kilometers of urban paved roads in Montserrado County.
“Strategically, the project’s activities were aligned with the PAPD’s strategy on roads and bridges that seek to ensure that all roads are pliable all year round and that there is requisite capacity for a road maintenance program. In addition, the project outcome is aligned with one of the MPW’s strategic medium to long-term objectives that aim to transform key community roads to all-weather asphalt paved roads, reduce travel time and lessen travel cost,” the project’s summary noted.
Key activities of the project were the construction of two new lanes, reconstruction of two existing lanes, construction of two bridges over the Stockton Creek, rehabilitation of two bridges at Double Bridge, improvement of the drainage system and the installations of requisite signage along the road, as well as community involvement and participation in the construction work.
Now that the project is complete, it is expected to positively impact the movement of people, goods and services in the community and improve access to basic services, including health and education, for community residents and other road users.