Public Works Minister Samuel Kofi Woods has again called on the Chinese contracted company CICO to speed up and finish road rehabilitations in Monrovia before the current dry season slips away.

The Minister gave the admonition Friday, November 13, 2009, when he toured several infrastructural projects in Monrovia including the one being done by CICO-reconstruction of Monrovia's streets.

Minister Woods and Senior Engineers of the Ministry of Public Works tour's was in bid to ensure the speedy and accurate outcome of current road rehabilitation around major streets in Monrovia.

Commenting on the level of work done by CICO on the road rehabilitation around Monrovia City center, Minister Woods expressed satisfaction, but urged CICO to ensure the completion of the work before the end of the present dry season.

He said although continuous rain in Monrovia has created some delay in the initial commencement of the work, work has now started at an aggressive pace.

He reminded the contractors to look at some of the sidewalks near the roads which are in a deplorable state. "In order to boast of quality road, the sidewalks must be fixed to correspond with the standard of the new road", Minister Woods maintained.

Areas visited during tour were the junction of Broad and Newport Streets (central Monrovia) where road rehabilitation is currently ongoing, the old Executive Pavilion, the unfinished National Housing and Saving Bank, the True Whig Party's and other buildings behind the Executive Mansion on Capitol Hill.

The visit also extended to the current installation of two 24 inch diameter reinforce concrete culverts on Redemption Road, behind the BTC military barracks, 12th Street (Sinkor) as well as the GSA road.

During the tour the Infrastructure Minister challenged Liberians to take possession of their environment and protect the integrity of their infrastructures.

He said dumping of garbage and digging of sand diminish the life span of bridges and obstruct the free flow of water.

He called on Liberians to stop the abuse of their infrastructures-something which he said weakens national development.

At the old Executive Pavilion, Minister Woods revealed an allotment of US$3 million is made in the national budget for the rehabilitation of two public buildings-the old Executive Pavilion and the unfinished National Housing and Saving Bank on Ashmun Street.

He disclosed that other public buildings will be cleaned for future rehabilitation.

Ordinary citizens residing within Sinkor community have lauded the Administration of the Ministry of Public Works for their timely intervention in reconnecting the road between 12th and 14th Streets which have been blocked for a protracted time.

Minister Woods finally challenged engineers and technicians in the field to speed up and ensure the completion of the two drainages at the Sinkor and the GSA road communities.

Weeks after he took office, the former labor Minister toured reconstruction works by CICO and CHICO around Monrovia, and pressed them to accelerate the process, because the expectation of the Liberian people was very high.

Besides, rehabilitating and building new roads and bridges are very critical under the government's poverty reduction strategy (PRS).

Liberia's PRS articulates the government's overall vision and major strategies for moving toward rapid, inclusive and sustainable growth and development during the period 2008-2011.

The PRS is being implemented between April 1, 2008 and June 30, 2011 (the end of the 2010/2011 fiscal year). This period, the government says, is of critical importance as Liberia shifts from post-conflict stabilization to laying the foundation for inclusive and sustainable growth, poverty reduction, and progressing toward the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The donor-dependent US$1.6bn program is crafted with four major pillars including enhancing Peace and National Security, Governance and the Rule of Law, Economic Revitalization and Rehabilitation of Infrastructures and Delivery of Basic Social Services.