Residents of Douta in Bong County District 2 are urging Representative James Kolleh to complete a long-delayed bridge project, warning that lives are being lost as people continue to risk crossing a dangerous creek on a fragile wooden structure.
The bridge, launched in early 2022 by Kolleh and former District 5 Representative Edward Karfiah, was initially hailed as a lifeline for safe travel and economic relief. But construction stalled the same year, leaving the community stranded.
Town Chief Papa Flomo accused Kolleh of politicizing the project, saying the lawmaker revisited Douta only during the 2023 elections and told residents work would continue only if they backed his re-election bid.
"Plenty people, including pregnant women, fell in this creek while crossing and drowned," Flomo said.
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Residents said they overwhelmingly supported Kolleh out of fear the project would be abandoned, but nearly two years later, little progress has been made.
Deadly Crossings
The dangers are most severe during the rainy season, when floods sweep away the wooden bridge and cut off the Janyea-to-Gbenequelleh road.
"Every rainy season is a gamble with life. Our only hope is that someday the bridge will be completed before more lives are lost," said Youth President Joseph Koon.
Even in dry months, the creek is too deep to cross on foot. Cars have not reached Douta in more than six years, forcing farmers to haul produce on foot to Gbenequelleh market and patients to nearby clinics. Motorcyclists who risk the crossing charge high fares, worsening economic hardships.
Koon also recalled that former District 2 lawmaker Prince Moye, now a senator, once promised to construct the bridge but failed to deliver. "The bridge is not just about our town. Its completion would connect Bong and Grand Bassa counties and ease travel for several nearby towns and villages," he said.
Lawmaker's Defense
In response, Emmanuel Gatie, chief of office staff in Kolleh's office, rejected claims of neglect.
"This is not a government project. It's Rep. Kolleh alone funding the project, and these initiatives are expensive. The people need to be patient," he said.
For now, residents say they remain trapped in a cycle of broken promises and deadly crossings, pleading for urgent action before more lives are lost.
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Politics Over Public Works
The stalled project underscores deeper problems in Liberia's governance system, where infrastructure is often tied to individual politicians rather than state institutions.
Under law, bridges and community infrastructure fall under the Ministry of Public Works or the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment (LACE). But chronic underfunding has left those institutions unable to carry out major projects. Instead, legislators often take on politically motivated construction efforts, using promises of roads and bridges as bargaining chips during election campaigns.
