CAUSES MAJOR THREATH TO THE COMMUNITY
Monrovia, Liberia – The Cestos River ITI Bridge fell early on Monday, December 30, 2024, averting a national catastrophe that might have claimed the lives of numerous residents. No injuries were recorded from the terrifying event.
This comes one month after the Ministry of Public Works Bridge Unit had completed major repairs on the bridge. The ministry added in a news release that while it was thankful no one suffered fatal injuries in the incident, it is still extremely disturbed by this regrettable turn of events.
The Ministry had to step in when the Cestos River Bridge experienced serious over-flooding and strange vibrations earlier in November, which raised questions about the bridge’s structural stability. As a result, the Bridge Unit made repairs ahead of schedule and deactivated the bridge right away.
According to the announcement, the Ministry thoroughly inspected the structure before deciding it was ready for relaunch, and the damaged parts were restored. To guarantee compliance with the bridge’s load capacity requirements, the Ministry called a session with community stakeholders, including Joint Security representatives, as part of its dedication to public safety.
The Minister underlined during the conference that the ITI Bridge could support a maximum weight of 25 tons. Additionally, this includes an extra 10 tons of goods in addition to the weight of a truck, which is usually 15 tons. To prevent the bridge from being overloaded, the Joint Security, under the command of Commander Eric Zor, was entrusted with implementing these weight restrictions.
However, the ministry expressed its deep sorrow at the bridge’s collapse, which was caused by a load-bed carrying an excavator a blatant violation of the specified tonnage limitations.
Additionally, the Ministry regrets that this incident happened, weakening the Joint Security’s preventative efforts and causing the damage of vital public infrastructure, despite earlier promises from the Commander of its attentiveness.
According to the preliminary evaluation, the load-bed and excavator weighted over 50 tons, which is double the 25-ton maximum. The Ministry of Public Works calls on all parties involved, particularly regulatory agencies, to fulfill their obligations to safeguard national resources and reiterates its dedication to guaranteeing the longevity and safety of public infrastructures. The circumstances behind this occurrence are being investigated further, and suitable measures will be made to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.
