RMFA
FIRST JOINT INSPECTION
SLRA
REPORT ON THE FIRST JOINT INSPECTION OF ON GOING MAINTENANCE
WORKS BY MEMBERS OF SIERRA LEONE ROADS AUTHORITY (SLRA) AND THE
ROAD MAINTENANCE FUND ADMINISTRATION (RMFA)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF FIRST JOINT INSPECTION REPORT
The joint inspection team consisting of two members of the Sierra Leone Roads Authority
here in after abbreviated as SLRA, represented by the Director of Maintenance and the Chief
Engineer, Maintenance in the Road Asset Management Unit (RAMU). The Road
Maintenance Fund Administration here in after abbreviated as RMFA represented by the
Head of Monitoring and Evaluation, and a Civil Engineer.
The team visited all the six SLRA regions and inspected parts of the on – going maintenance
work for the quarter under review (June – September). A meeting was held with all the
Chief Regional Engineers (CREs) before inspecting the maintenance works in their respective
regions. The CRE’s highlighted their constraints at certain meetings held with them. The
constraints were mostly mobility. They informed us that almost all their vehicles used for
supervision are either non-functional or need serious repairs. The do receive administrative
costs from Headquarter but is not enough for their operational needs and mostly doesn’t
come on time. The maintenance costs and fuel allowances for motor bikes provided for
superintendents and road over seers do not arrive on a regular basis. Hence supervision of
works done in the regions is not sufficient and does not meet the necessary supervisory
requirements. Money transfer from SLRA headquarter to regional accounts takes quite
some time and this was peculiar to the Mile 91 region where up to our time of arrival, the
monies have not been cleared by the CRE for payment to contractors hence major delays for
implementation.
KENEMA REGION
The team comprising of two members from (SLRA) and two members from (RMFA) arrived
in Kenema, the SLRA regional headquarters for the eastern region comprising of three
districts namely Kenema, Kailahun and Kono. A joint meeting was held in the office of the
Chief Region Engineer, (CRE). The on-going works for the region as reported are:
 Road brushing left and right. Kenema to Segeh Bridge.
 Road brushing left and right Blama junction to Boajibu
 Road brushing left and right Blama to Koribondo road up to the regional boundry.
Work done in the Kenema township include ditching and ballstone patching on two
streets namely: Garber lane and Banya street. Sections of these roads were monitored
by the visiting team and works were satisfactory.
The works on-going in Kailahun District as reported include:
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 Ball stone patching (Township) roads
 Culvert works (Township) roads.
These were not monitored by the visiting team as kailahun was not on the itinerary. These
works as reported by the CRE remain to be seen.
The works on-going in Kono District as reported include:
 Ball stone patching Koidu to Kaimeyandor
 Works on timber bridge at Moimandu is suspended because of water level
These were not monitored by the visiting team as Kono was not on the itinerary. These
works as reported by the CRE remain to be seen
The following constraints facing the region were highlighted as follows:
 Kenema region is not mobile due to the following
o CRE’s pickup needs extensive repairs
o The motor bikes being used by superintendents and road overseers need
maintenance and fuel is not always forthcoming
 The administrative and operational costs to run the affairs of the region is
insufficient and irregular.
 The time lapse between condition and inventory survey and the commencement of
works should be as short as possible in order to prevent further deterioration of road
condition which will have considerable cost and labour implications.
 No road condition surveys were done before commencement of works despite the
fact that this was budgeted for by SLRA and funds were provided for this activity by
RMFA.
The team with the CRE and the district engineer then proceeded to inspect the on –
going works. The overall assessment of work done in kenema region was fairly good. The
CRE and his district engineer were admonished to strictly adhere to the three metre
brushing width and 18 millimetres of brushing height where in some cases were not
adhered to.
Below is a map of sites visited showing photo location. The team also had a brief onsite
meeting with the contractor on the Blama junction to Boajibu road were works were just
starting.
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Ditching and ballasting on Banya Street, Kenema
Ball stone patching on Garber lane, Kenema
Road side brushing Bo - Kenema Highway
Road side brushing Blama - Koribondo road
Road side brushing Blama to Boajibu road
Site meeting with one of the contractors, RMFA
/SLRA
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FIRST JOINT INSPECTION
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BO REGION
The joint monitoring team (SLRA) and (RMFA) arrived in Bo the SLRA regional headquarter
for the Southern Region comprising of three districts namely Bo, Pujehun and Bonthe
districts. A joint meeting was held in the office of the Chief Region Engineer (CRE). The ongoing works in the region as reported are:
 Ditching and ballasting in Gelehun on the Bo - Bandajuma highway
 Ball stone patching on the Bo - Mattru jong road up to Torwama junction
 Road brushing left and right Bo - Kenema highway up to the regional boundary.
Work done in the Bo town ship roads include ditching and ballstone patching on two
streets namely: Ngalu road and Baiama road. At the time of our visit, ballstone patching
was on-going on Ngalu road and a box culvert construction was underway at Baiama
road. No brushing was noticeably done along these streets.
The road brushing on the Bo – Kenema highway up to the regional boundary was poorly
done and the team recommended to the CRE for works to be revisited ASAP.
The works on-going in Pujehun District as reported include:
 Ball stone patching (Township) roads
 Culvert (Township) roads
The works on-going in Pujehun district were not visited as Pujehun was not on the itinerary.
These works remain to be seen in order to ascertain that works were carried out by the
contractors as reported to the team.
No works are on-going in Mattru, Bonthe District.
The following constraints facing the region were highlighted as follows:
 Bo region is not mobile due to the following
o CRE’s pickup is non-functional and needs extensive repairs
o The motor bikes provided by SLRA to superintendents and road overseers
need maintenance and fuel supply is inconsistent.
 The administrative and operational costs needed to run the affairs of the region is
insufficient and irregular.
 The time lapse between condition and inventory survey and the commencement of
works should be as short as possible, in order to prevent further deterioration of
road condition which will have considerable costs and labour implications.
 There is a huge back log of work due to lack of maintenance over the years and as
such work is progressing slowly.
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 No road condition surveys were done before commencement of works irrespective
of the fact that this was budgeted for by SLRA and funds were remitted to SLRA by
RMFA for road condition surveys.
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Meeting with engineer Topeh (TEE MAC) Construction
The meeting was held in the CRE’s office, SLRA Bo. In attendence were:
Mr Richmond Sesay - RMFA
Mr. Alie fornah - RMFA
Mr. Sahr E. Gbembo - SLRA
Mr. Tamba Yonga - SLRA
Mr Paul dembe - SLRA
Mr. Rogers - SLRA
The meeting started with silent prayers, followed by a presentation by TEE Mac
Conctruction, represented by Ing. Topeh to give a brief overview on the progress of
work on the Bo to Mattru jong road, and the works on the township roads in Mattru
jong for the attention of SLRA. The response by TEE Mac Construction representative
Ing. Topeh was not encouraging. According to him, they could not finished the works on
the Bo – Mattru jong road because of the rains. Mr Richmond Sesay reacted by saying
that the company was awarded the contract in April 2013 to have been completed in
May. He went on to say that they were awarded the contract because of the township
roads they are doing in Mattru jong and that this was a complete disappointment and
breach of contract. Mr. Sesay said that remidial action could be taken against them as
about 22km of road work was still untouchable at the time of our visit.
According to Mr. Sesay, TEE Mac was paid up front the contract sum of six hundred and
fifty million leones (Le 650,000,000), hence they have no reason for the delay and the
excuses of shortage of fuel and rains interupting the work should not arise as the
months of April and May had very little rain fall. TEE Mac do not have the required
capacity to do the work on that road.
On the acquisition of the quarry by Bo stadium, the TEE Mac representative said that
they use the quarry to produce asphalt for the project towns of Moyamba, Mattru jong,
and Pujehun. The question we asked was how is it possible to lay the asphalt produced
in Bo at the correct temperature in the project town of Pujehun which is closest to the
production facilty a distance of about seventy kilometres.
The TEE Mac representative responded by saying that they will purchase brand new
trucks with thermo plastic. It was unanimously agreed by us that the method is not
feasible. The asphalt will be cold before it could be laid in the project towns and as a
result, work done will not be of good quality.
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It was further observed that there is no collaboration between TEE Mac and SLRA staff in
the region as they only collaborate with people from headquarters. The representative
was advised that all CRE’s are the deputy project managers and they are equally
important to the project as staff at headquarters. The team from SLRA i.e the Director of
Maintenance and the Chief Engineer RAMU acknowledged that thay were not
accordingly informed about the involvement of TEE Mac Construction on the Bo –
Mattru Jong road which was embarrassing.
The team with the CRE and the district engineer then proceeded to inspect the works.
The overall assessment of work done in Bo region was Satisfactory. The CRE and his
district engineer were admonished to strictly adhere to the three metre brushing width
and 18 millimetres of brushing height which at the time of our visit was not adhered to
especially on the brushing done on the Bo – Kenema highway up to the boundary. The
CRE was advised to recall the contractors to revisit their work.
Below is a map of sites visited showing photo location. The team also had a brief onsite
meeting with the contractor on the Bo to Torwama road.
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Road deterioration Bo - Bandajuma Road
Ball stone patching on Ngalu Road, Bo
Rutted Armco pipe culvert Baimba road, Bo
Culvert works on Baimba road, Bo
Ditching and reshaping Bo - Bandajuma road
Ball stone patching Bo – Mattru jong road
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FIRST JOINT INSPECTION
SLRA
MILE 91 REGION
The joint inspection team comprising of two members from (SLRA) and two members from
(RMFA) arrived in Mile 91, the SLRA regional headquarter for Mile 91 region comprising of
two districts namely: Tonkolili, and Moyamba. A joint meeting was held in the office of the
Chief Region Engineer (CRE). The works that are on-going as reported are:
 Road side brushing left and right Mile 91 to Robol junction.
 Ball stone patching Mile 91- Robol junction
 Road side brushing left and right Matotoka - yele.
The following constraints facing the region were highlighted as follows:
 Mile 91 region does not have a vehicle for supervision of works
o The motor bikes provided for use by the superintendent and road overseers
need maintenance and fuel supply is insufficient and inconsistent
 The administrative and operational costs needed to run the affairs of the region is
insufficient and inconsistent
 No condition surveys were done before commencement of works irrespective of the
fact that this was budgeted for by SLRA and funds were remitted to them by RMFA.
If road condition surveys were done, the mile 91 to Robol road would not have been
slated for ball stone patching when most lengths of the road are completely
submerged under water. Funds disbursed for this road need to be accounted for.
The time lapse between condition survey and the commencement of works should be as
short as possible, to prevent further deterioration of road condition which will have
considerable cost and labour implications.
The joint inspection team on the advice of the CRE did carry out inspection on the Mile 91
Robol junction road. The contractor pre finance the works. The advice was geared towards
the delay in the payment of contractors due to delay in the transfer of funds from head
quarter account to the Mile 91 region account.
Below is a map of the visited site showing photo location. There are however video clips
showing the deplorable condition of the road. Hence the need to conduct joint condition
survey in collaboration with the CRE’s before estimate are prepared for road maintenance
works; routine, periodic, recurrent and or rehabilitation.
The video clip will be burned on compact disc for the consumption of SLRA and RMFA and is
quite disturbing.
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FIRST JOINT INSPECTION
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Mile 91 - Robol junction road
Rising waters reaching road pavement up stream
Rising water level downstream
Water level overtops road pavement
Rising waters reaching road pavement down Team preparing to tow director of
stream
maintenance vehicle stock on the mud at the
Mile 91 – Robol road at nightfall
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RMFA
FIRST JOINT INSPECTION
SLRA
MAKENI REGION
The join inspection team arrived in Makeni City, the SLRA regional headquarter for the
Makeni region comprising of two districts namely: Bombali, and Koinadugu. A joint meeting
was held in the office of the Chief Region Engineer (CRE). The on-going works as reported
are for the region are:






Road brushing left and right. Makeni - Magburaka highway
Road brushing left and right Makeni - Kabala road
Road brushing left and right Kabala - Krubonla road up to the regional boundary.
Road brushing left and right Fadugu - Kamasasa road
Ball stone patching Fadugu - Kamasasa road
Road side brushing left and right Makeni - Lunsar road up to the regional boundary.
Work done in the Kabala township include ditching, ball stone patching and culvert
construction on selected streets.
There are no on-going works in Makeni City
The following constraints facing the region were highlighted as follows:
o CRE’s pickup needs extensive repairs
o The motor bikes provided for the use of superintendents and road overseers
need maintenance and fuel supply is insufficient and inconsistent
 The administrative and operational costs needed to run the affairs of the region is
insufficient and inconsistent.
 No road condition surveys were done before commencement of works irrespective
of the fact that this was budgeted for by SLRA and funds were remitted to them by
RMFA for this purpose
The time lapse between condition and the commencement of works should be as short as
possible, this prevent further deterioration of road condition which will have considerable
cost and labour implications.
The team with the CRE and the district engineer then proceeded to inspect on-going works.
The overall assessment of works done in Makeni region was very good. The CRE and his
district engineer were admonished to strictly adhere to the three metre brushing width and
18 millimetres of brushing height. This was adhered to by the Makeni region
The CRE Makeni Region opined that for the inspectors to actually see the effect of the work
done in the region especially with regards to ball stone patching and road side brushing it is
but fitting for the inspectors to visit the region immediately after work starts, since the grass
will grow faster after brushing in the raining season. The ball stone patching of the road also
deteriorate at a faster rate due to heavy vehicles plying the road especially on the Kabala
Krubonla road.
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The Head of Monitoring and Evaluation, RMFA recommended that the CRE’s need to take
photos of work sites before, during and after works to actually get a clear picture of work
being achieved. This will help them to be able to measure achievements as against work
planned.
Below is a map of sites visited showing photo location. The team also had a brief onsite
meeting with the contractor on the Fadugu - Kamasasa road.
-
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FIRST JOINT INSPECTION
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Road side brushing Makeni- Magburaka highway
Joint inspection in meeting with CRE Makeni region
near the Rokel bridge
Bad spot Makeni - Kabala road
Fadugu - Kamasasa road ball stone patching and side brushing
Ditching and ballasting Fadugu - Kamasasa road
Culvert construction Kabala Town
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Ball stone patching Kabala Town
FIRST JOINT INSPECTION
SLRA
Ball stone patching Kabala Town
PORT LOKO REGION
The join inspection team arrived in Port Loko town the SLRA regional headquarter for Port
Loko region comprising of two districts namely: Port Loko, and Kambia. A joint meeting was
held in the office of the Chief Region Engineer (CRE). The works that are on-going as
reported for the region are:
 Road side brushing left and right. Culvert and drainage cleaning Tagrin - Lungi road
 Road side brushing left and right. Ball stone patching and drainage cleaning Kambia
Kychom road
 Road side brushing left and right. Timber Deck Bridge repair Songo junction to
Mabang road.
The only site visited by the joint inspection team was the Songo junction to Mabang road.
Repairs have been done on the timber deck bridge but there were no visible signs of
brushing along this road. The other works as repored still remain to be visited to ascertain
that works are being done.
There are no on-going works in Port Loko and Lunsar township
The following constraints facing the region were highlighted as follows:
o CRE’s pickup needs extensive repairs
o The motor bikes provided for use by superintendents and road overseers
need maintenance and fuel supply is insufficient and inconsistent
 The administrative and operational cost needed to run the affairs of the region is
inconsistent and insufficient.
 No road condition surveys were done
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 The region did not start work on time as a result of problems with funds transfer
from headquarter. As a result much was not achieved by the time of our visit
The time lapse between condition and the commencement of works should be as short as
possible, this prevent further deterioration of road condition which will have considerable
cost and labour implications.
The highway from Lunsar to Kotteh bridge was not on the program for brushing and as a
result remains bushy. This is the main highway being used by H.E. the President to Makeni.
This road length is also full of potholes that need immediate attention or else we face
embarrassment.
Below is a map of sites visited showing photo location.
WESTERN REGION
The joint inspection team arrived in Kissy, Freetown, the SLRA regional headquarter for
Western region comprising of two districts namely: Western rural and Western urban. A
joint meeting was held in the office of the Chief Region Engineer (CRE). On-going works in
the region were divided in to twenty-two (22) lots, thirteen (13) was drainage cleaning and
nine (9) for ball stone patching. Some works have not been contracted due to
documentation hick ups as reported by the CRE Western Region. It was observed that the
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contractor on kissy road was not shaping the pot hole before patching, the contractor was
advised to revisit the works again before his final payment. The joint inspection proceeded
to inspect the works listed below.








Oshoro Street ball stone patching.
Ross road drainage cleaning.
Fourah Bay Road drainage cleaning
Kissy road sump and drainage cleaning
King Harmman road
Syke street
Old Road Kissy.
Sander Street drainage cleaning
Most of these works are on-going although there is a lot of duplication between work done
at the western region office and that done at headquarter. Most of these works have been
double funded by RMFA. A meeting needs to be called to actually ascertain the level of
works been done.
No on-going works in the rural western area district.
The following constraints facing the region were highlighted as follows:
o CRE’s pickup needs extensive repairs
o The motor bikes provided for use by the superintendents and road overseers
need maintenance and fuel supply is insufficient and inconsistent.
 The administrative and operational costs needed to run the affairs of the region is
inconsistent and insufficient
 No road condition surveys were done before commencement of works.
The time lapse between condition and the commencement of works should be as short as
possible, this prevent further deterioration of road condition which will have considerable
cost and labour implications.
Below is a map of sites visited showing photo location.
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Drainage cleaning Old Road by PWD
Drainage Cleaning Old Road by Saint Martins
Conflict of service providers in front of ST.
Martins
Sump cleaning drop inlet Old Road in front
of ST. Martins
Carting of debris on Ross Road
Drainage cleaning Sander Street
Illegal grid cover over Channel Sander Street
Ball stone patching lower syke street
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FIRST JOINT INSPECTION
Ball stone patching Oshoro street
SLRA
Channel blocked by car wash boys King
Harmman rod by China house
RAMU
The acronym stands for Road Asset Management Unit (RAMU). The unit has been dormant
since the implementation of the PMMP software. The unit has not undertaken any survey
since the start of the calendar year 2013.
The unit has no vehicle and no GPS equipment to carry out surveys. The unit can only boast
of Arc 10 licences and Pavement Maintenance Management Program (PMMP) software
installed on two computers. The key to Arc 10 software is not available to any member of
the unit. Therefore according to standards, the unit has obsolete condition data, the
inventory data if not reviewed within the next three years will be out of date. Road
condition survey must be done at least once every six months especially on gravel roads
which deteriorate faster under normal axle load conditions let alone under unmonitored
conditions.
BRIDGES AND FERRIES DEPARTMENT
The team did not inspect on-going ferry works due to time factor. The time allotted to
inspect all the six regions was seven days and it was too short a time period to carry out
thorough and complete inspection of all on-going works.
Compiled by;
Mr. Richmond Sesay (RMFA)______________________________________________
Mr. Sahr Ernest Gbembo (SLRA) _____________________________________________
Mr. Alie Fornah (RMFA) _____________________________________________
Mr. Tamba Yonga (SLRA) ____________________________________________
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