Contractors of the Trans-Gambia bridge construction have told President Adama Barrow that the bridge will be ready for inauguration in January 2019. The President made an early morning stop at the construction site to inspect the progress of works.
At 1.8KM long and 5 storey high (15-20M), the bridge is one of the biggest in the sub region, according to the contractor. It can accommodate most vessels preserving the all year round navigability of River Gambia.
The Trans-Gambia bridge, which replaces the Yelli Tenda – Bamba Tenda ferry services, will be tolled to generate revenue for the government.
Taking into account the location and economic base of the region, Trans-Gambia has great potentials to remarkably improve rural livelihood -predominantly agriculture, by facilitating access to markets and other services. It’s an important link in the Trans-West Africa, Dakar-Lagos Corridor, and will reduce physical barriers to international border crossing and commerce.
The President was told that 57% of the workforce is Gambian, 18% ECOWAS nationals, and 25% non-ECOWAS expats
The Minister of Environment, Lamin Dibba, was also at hand to learn how the environment impact will be managed. “Several salvation experts were brought here to give technical advice… all possible scenarios were rehearsed to come up with the best management system possible,” the President was assured.
Source: presidency
