By Kidega Livingstone
Completion of Juba-Bahr el Ghazal highway construction is expected within the next two years.
According to African Resources Corporation (ARC) project coordinator, Along Zechariah, work progress on the 380-kilometer Juba-Terekeka-Rumbek highway has seen remarkable progress.
He noted that 100 per cent of the road from Juba to Terekeka been completed with Asphalt.
“We are committed to completing the road, reaching our destination in Bahr el Ghazal,” Zechariah assured journalists during a media trip to the construction sites on Saturday.
“Construction is progressing smoothly from Juba to Terekeka, with 100% of the work finished,” the project coordinator affirmed.
Zechariah added that 90% of the roadbed is complete on the section between Terekeka and Ramcel, the proposed new capital of South Sudan.
“There will be no road closures during this construction season due to cut-offs in the road construction,” he emphasized.
ARC plans to use locally available materials like murram and stone for construction and has mobilized technical experts to expedite bridge construction and other critical areas.
“We’re following a standard called [AA SHPO] to ensure quality,” Zechariah explained. “With asphalt paving, we project completion in Rumbek within two years.”
He disclosed that ARC has completed mobilization resources and deployed technical teams of experts on the ground to commence the construction work, especially in the area of bridge construction and other areas.
“We are 100 per cent going very smoothly, and the roads have different phases” he stated. “The clearance phase was 90 per cent done, and the embankment phase was 90 per cent done. We covered 40 kilometers from Terekeka to Ramcel.
He acknowledged some challenges, including global shipping delays due to conflict in the Mediterranean Sea and heavy rains causing road access issues in South Sudan.
“These are common challenges affecting construction materials across Africa,” Zechariah said. “The recent Houthi attacks in the Red Sea caused some delays for our materials.”
Heavy downpours have exposed shabby road construction cutting off sections of the highway due to heavy flooding.
This situation is the result of the country’s vulnerability to extreme weather conditions, including heavy rainfall.
The impact of persistent flooding in the country has been significant, affecting hundreds of people and leading to challenges in infrastructure maintenance and disaster response.