On Buchanan Highway: Bad Road Condition hinders Free Movement
Story Culled from The Analyst
Commercial drivers plying the road from Monrovia to Buchanan, Grand Bassa County are finding it increasingly difficult to travel to the port city of Buchanan due to deplorable road condition and as a result, that part of the country may soon be cut off from the rest of the Liberia if nothing is done to address the situation.
According to our reporter who just returned from the city, commercial vehicles that usually ply the road are finding it very hard to get to Buchanan because, he said, the road condition is appalling and it needs urgent attention.
Most of the commercial drivers who spoke to our reporter said, their refusal to travel to the city must not be seen as people who are not kind to passengers, instead it is intended to safeguard their vehicles from been crushed in the mud, something they said, would negatively impact their survival.
According to our reporter, the government approved fees for travelling to the city from Monrovia is between LD$350 - LD$400 but, he said, some commercial drivers are charging twice the approved fair. Our Buchanan correspondent also revealed that some commercial drivers are charging passengers from Monrovia to Buchanan between LD$500 - LD$700 per passenger, while others are charging close to LD$1000 along with extra fees being charged for luggage.
Meanwhile, Commercial drivers plying the road are reportedly lacked out in confusion over the exorbitant fees and as the result that, most drivers have parked their vehicles leaving several travelers to be stranded at packing stations. Some of the stranded passengers told our Buchanan correspondent that they were finding it increasingly complicated to get to their homes, as the result of the terrible road conditions, describing the situation as totally unacceptable.
They said, the Buchanan road needs total rehabilitation, and if nothing is done to recondition the road in the shortest possible time, it would undermine the government’s poverty reduction Program in the county, they stressed.
