FREEDOM BRIDGE WILL BE READY FOR USE IN MAY

The Minister of Roads and Bridges has said Freedom Bridge will officially open on May 17, 2022.

The Japanese International Corporation Agency (JICA) is expected to hand over the bridge to the government once completed.

The construction of the Freedom Bridge was made possible by an agreement between the governments of South Sudan and Japan. The construction is being implemented by JICA. The goal of the construction was to create a permanent crossing across the Nile River to alleviate traffic congestion.

Speaking to South Sudan Broadcasting Cooperation on Thursday, the Minister of Roads and Bridges, Simon Mijak, said a team of engineers from JICA and the ministry would conduct a final inspection of the bridge before it is handed over on May 17, 2022.

“It is great news for the people of South Sudan that the Freedom Bridge is completed,” said Simon.

For his part, Chief Representative of the JICA, Sagara Fuyuki, said they would set an exact timeline for the project to be completed before handing the bridge to the government.

“I hope, once it is completed, it will contribute to the economic activities of the people of Juba City and South Sudan at large. It will also contribute to the whole transport of the East African region,” Mr Fuyuki asserted.

With a total length of 560 metres, a width of 12.9 metres, and 3640 metres of road access on both sides, the new bridge is one of South Sudan’s major bridges.

On March 19, 2015, President Salva Kiir laid the foundation stone on a Japanese-funded $91 million project for the construction of Freedom Bridge, south east of the Rive Nile

The project was expected to reach completion within a few years after the inauguration. However, the renewed conflict that erupted in 2016 made Japan government to evacuate its workers from South Sudan and suspend the construction of the Freedom Bridge.

The work on the bridge resumed in mid-2018 when the warring parties embraced peace and ended violent conflicts.

The 560-metre-long Freedom Bridge will have a 3.6-kilometre access road, two lanes for vehicular traffic, and a pedestrian sidewalk on one side.

The intention of the Freedom Bridge was to relieve traffic congestion on the Juba Bridge, which is made up of two adjacent 252-metre spans. Since its erection in 1972, the Juba Bridge has required repairs due to the enormous load of trucks carrying tons of weight that exceeds the bridge’s capacity.

Source: City Review SS