By Mama A. Touray
President Adama Barrow has said the demolition and relocation involved in the construction of the 50km OIC road resulted in a cost of D60 million for his government, surpassing the initial estimate of D50 million.
Barrow highlighted the challenges faced by his government during the implementation of the OIC road project, noting that the costs of demolition and relocation were significant obstacles.
“It cost us a lot of money. Our target for the 50km OIC road was D50 million, but now we are almost to D60 million because the areas are developed already, and we have to demolish [and] do relocation to make sure that there is access and that is very challenging,’ he said.
He informed reporters that the project’s timeline has been extended due to the unexpected multitude of challenges encountered
“These are developed areas. When areas are developed, it is always difficult because they were developed and not planned. Now, it’s after development that we are planning and when you plan, it will obviously affect the people”.
During his visit to the OIC roads, Barrow mentioned that he often inspects the roads as they are close to his heart, emphasizing that without infrastructure, there can be no development, and the reverse is also true.
“So far, we are happy as our target is October, which is the next three months, we have to do 100% furnishing of the roads in October such as drainage, roads, streetlights and furniture.
“These are not ordinary roads. This is the first time The Gambia is enjoying this type of road, so it is very important to us, and we thank the contractors, NRA, and the Minister of Works and his team for their hard work and commitment to these roads,” he said.
