Business and compound owners along the highway also told The Point that their products, commodities and properties are covered with dust daily as they called on contractors to fast track the work.
They observed that the rainy season is just around the corner and the area will even be more stressful to use. They added that traffic diversion has affected their businesses.
Ousainou Mbye, the manager at Marewa Night Club, Senegambia, said road network and construction play a vital role in the economic development of a country. However, he said vehicles having to go off-road have caused a lot of challenges for them.
He added that as a bar manager, he tries to make sure his clients are comfortable but noted that the dust and some reckless drivers drive roughly off-road which is not safe.
Modou Jallow, a resident and shopkeeper at Senegambia, raised concern about the pace of the work, saying that the contractor needs to redouble efforts to complete the work before the rainy season starts.
He said the dust, mud, and off-road driving have caused challenges for them especially in their businesses. He said his business was flourishing before the commencement of the road work but it is struggling now due to dusty merchandise.
“Some of my clients now prefer going to other shops far away from the road construction site due to the dust,” he explained.
Sulayman Jagana, a taxi driver, who uses the Traffic Light – Turn-table route daily, explained that they use the same pathway as people on foot which is very dangerous for both drivers and people.
Ebrima Jallow, a vendor at Turn-table, expressed concern over the amount of dust that is affecting his business. He said the dust makes his products dirty and sends his customers away. He said that his business is his means of survival, but he hardly makes sales nowadays due to customers’ disregard for his products.
He suggested that the roadside be watered daily to limit the dust, which he said is not good for the health of people living and working within the area.
Binta Njie, also a vendor, beamoned challenges they encounter on a daily basis, saying it has been over a year and yet work is not even been near completion.
She added that their businesses have been at a standstill with customers feeling reluctant to be covered in dust to get to their businesses.
She noted that despite the health hazard attached to this situation, they are patient with the belief that work will be completed soon for their businesses to return to normalcy.
Airport Juntion - Senegambia phase I road to be open June
Miri Jamil, the project manager of Arezki Company has assured the public that the highway from Airport-Junction to Senegambia which is under project Phase I is set to be open by June 2023 to enhance free traffic flow. He noted that the overall road construction project is set to end by August, 2024.
In an interview with The Point on the ongoing construction, taking into account the onset of the rainy season, he said the company has already laid down the 5-centimeter layer depth from the Airport-Junction to Senegambia, noting that very soon they would lay down the other 5-centimeter layer depth on the road to maximize the quality and thickness of the road to 10-centimeters.
He emphasised that they are working on finishing touches on the two overpasses at Yundum Coastal Road and the round-about (Turn-table) before they open the road next month.
He noted that the recent road closure by the Police was due to five fatal accidents that occurred due to rough driving that claimed the lives of two people.
He stated that they want to finish with all the hard work before the end of 2023.
Alhagie Darboe, the project coordinator for the National Road Authority, said that the road construction occupies 30 meters width while the space away from either side covers 40 meters.
Regarding the displacements of vendors and demolition of some properties along the road, he said that nobody should have any property or settled within the 30 meters set for the road.
