Monrovia — The Liberian government has reissued the Road User Permit to Western Cluster to continue the commercial hauling of iron ores along the Freeport of Monrovia and the Bomi Hills Road Corridor after the company's permit was temporarily seized due to violations highlighted by senators. However, the government has warned that it will not hesitate to revoke the permit if the company fails to honor its obligations.
The disclosure about the lifting of the suspension on the company's operations was made by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Liberia, Cllr. Oswald Tweh, at the Ministry of Information's regular press briefing on Tuesday, September 17, in Monrovia.
Several senators from counties where Western Cluster operates, including Edwin Melvin Snowe, Debah Varpilah, and Alex Tyler, have raised alarms about the operations of Western Cluster Liberia Limited. They described the company's activities as a "disaster," stating that it endangers lives, destroys public infrastructure, and depletes national resources for the benefit of foreign entities.
Cllr. Tweh stated that prior to the reissuance of the permit, a team of government officials conducted an inspection to assess the current condition of the road from St. Paul Bridge to Tubmanburg and observed the maintenance works carried out by Western Cluster as mandated.
"After a suspension of the Road User Permit for more than sixty days, on Saturday, September 14, 2024, in compliance with a presidential mandate, I, along with the Deputy Minister for Operations of the Ministry of Mines and Energy, William Hines, and the Assistant Minister of Public Works, Sundiata S. Juasemai, led a team on an inspection tour of the road corridor from St. Paul Bridge, Virginia, to Tubmanburg, Bomi County," he added.
The minister indicated that the inspection aimed to ascertain the level of intervention done on the corridor by Western Cluster to enable the government to make an informed decision on the reinstatement of Western Cluster's suspended Road User Permit.
He also stated that the tour evaluated the state of the bridge parallel to the St. Paul Bridge, which Western Cluster has been instructed to repair, maintain, and utilize for its trucks to avoid and prevent damage to the St. Paul Bridge, and reviewed interventions such as patching, shoulder clearing, drainages, and culvert installations along the corridor.
"This endeavor aimed to gather information on Western Cluster's bypass route, weighbridge facilities, and future rehabilitation plans," Cllr. Tweh stated.
He stressed that moving forward, the company must comply fully with the environmental laws of Liberia by obtaining a full environmental permit for its operations, ensure that all ores are transported between 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., and adhere to the approved traffic management plan.
Cllr. Tweh further indicated that the company will continuously repair and maintain the road, and engage the Ministries of Public Works and Transport, and in collaboration with them, carry out a joint public and road safety awareness along the corridor.
"The inspection revealed that Western Cluster has indeed conducted some repair and maintenance work on the road corridor and has hired a contractor to continuously repair and maintain the corridor. The contractor informed the team that it has a detailed maintenance plan which it will submit to the Ministry of Public Works this week," the Attorney-General stressed.
According to him, the company has almost completely fixed the old bridge, parallel to the St. Paul Bridge, for use by its trucks, adding that only tarring and finishing are left to be done, which will occur during the dry season. "However, in its current condition, the bridge can be used by trucks."
He further said the contractor has executed repair and maintenance work along the road corridor, repairing seriously damaged portions at various sections, including the old Mobil Compound in Virginia; just before the overpass leading to Hotel Africa (where drainages were constructed); around Lott Carey Mission; at the VOA/Jahtondo Town intersection; around Kaiser Memorial Lawn Cemetery; and at the Royesville intersection, among other key interventions.
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Additionally, he emphasized that the government will not hesitate to revoke the Road User Permit if Western Cluster fails to honor its commitments and the provisions of the Road User Permit and the MDA. "The government will not allow Western Cluster's operation to damage national infrastructure and put the lives of residents at risk."
The minister also revealed that the road has reached the end of its design lifespan and is no longer maintainable through patching. He said, given the current "end of its design lifespan" nature of the road itself, coupled with the exacerbated impact of the rainy season, it requires significant maintenance or full rehabilitation to accommodate the increasing traffic and the heavy loads transported by Western Cluster.
