Construction Review Online reported that Sierra Leone is set to invest USD 2 billion to link its capital city Freetown to the country’s only international airport, through construction of a 7 kilometer bridge. President Mr Julius Maada Bio, said that the project aims at making the airport more accessible. Freetown International Airport at Lungi is currently accessible only by boat or helicopter, separated from the capital by the nearly five km wide mouth of the Rokel river. I will closely superintend the entire process and ensure that every tender is compliant and every tender is in the best long-term interest of Sierra Leone.

Upon completion the bridge may be ranked to be the largest infrastructure project in the west African country. The 7km-long bridge is intended to end the “logistical nightmare” facing travelers arriving at Lungi, formerly a British air base located.

According to James Turner, an official from Sierra Leone’s transportation ministry, the project would take between four and five years to complete. The idea of the bridge was settled on, but the government has been deterred from starting because of its capital cost, which is equal to about half of its GDP. President Julius Maada Bio however believes it will be feasible using the public–private model.

Source: CONSTRUCTION REVIEW ONLINE