By Langston Joe Wilson, Maryland County Correspondent

HARPER, Aug. 17 (LINA) – Local residents in Pedebo have agreed to provide 18 hectares of land to the Government of Liberia for the construction of a bridge over the Cavalla River.

The multi million dollars project, according to Public Works Ministry Program Director, Rawling B. Kesselly, will include a one-stop border post, bringing together security forces from Liberia and the Ivory Coast to prevent double charges on commuters, goods and services.

He said the bridge construction project is expected to kick off in the next two months, as agencies responsible are preparing to survey and deed the land for onward submission to ECOWAS for the commencement of the project.

The MPW official added that the project will at the same time provide direct and indirect empowerment for locals along the border through contracts, business and other services.

The provision of the land by residents of Pedebo followed days of negotiation by Maryland County authority and the Ministry of Public Works.

“The area will also host residence for consultants of the bridge project which will later be turned over to the Ministry of Public Works and that of contractors that may be turned over to residents of the affected community based on agreement by both parties,” Kesselly noted.

As part of the implementation exercise, the Ministry of Public Works and partners are expected to begin the mapping and payments of benefits to houses and crop owners in the perimeter of the earmarked 18 hectares of land provided for the cross-border project.

For his part, Amando G. Payed, Director for Resettlement, Environmental and Social Safeguards Division at the Ministry of Public Works disclosed that ECOWAS, through the Liberian Government will resettle owners of houses and crops in the targeted area in line with the Ministries of Agriculture and Public Works crop and structure payment policies.

He encouraged residents of the town to help the mapping team, to identify the rightful owners of the properties along the land space.

Payed noted that the project will at the same time provide direct and indirect empowerment for locals along the borders through contracts, business and other services.

“If constructed, the bridge will be the first of its kind over the river between the two countries, mitigating the risks associated with canoe accidents that have resulted in numerous deaths and loss of goods over the years, while also reducing the cost of transportation between Liberia and Ivory Coast,” Payed said.

The residents of the area, through their Town Chief Eric Gibson, have requested that ECOWAS construct a guest house, elementary school, clinic, and provide university scholarships in exchange for their land.

Chief Gibson expressed the importance of the government and ECOWAS honoring their agreement, emphasizing that any deviation would lead to future embarrassment.

The Liberian-Ivorian Pedebo-Prollo Border is the biggest internationally recognized transit point between the Republic of Liberia and La Côte D'Ivoire.

The Cavalla River Bridge Project is being funded by the African Development Bank, under the Road Development and Transport Facilitation Programme of the Mano River Union (RD-TFP/MRU) with the aim to enhance cross-border trade, economy as well as the promotion of peace and unity among member states.