Sahr Ibrahim Komba
Freetown’s tragic history of bridge collapses has once again highlighted the urgent need for government action to rehabilitate aging infrastructure, particularly the country’s colonial-era bridges that remain in use today.
The King Jimmy Bridge disaster in August 2013, which killed at least seven people stands as a grim reminder of the cost of neglect. Built during the colonial period, the bridge collapsed after a night of heavy rain, burying victims beneath the rubble where many homeless people had sought shelter. Since then, similar incidents have shaken public confidence.The Savage Street Bridge collapse in 2020, the Mabang Bridge failure in 2013, and the Mahelayhun Bridge collapse in 2024 on the Kamakwie highway after a truck attempted to cross it.
These incidents share common causes-structural deterioration, erosion of foundations, and years of poor or absent maintenance. Heavy rainfall and flooding during the wet season often deliver the final blow.
One structure that now urgently demands attention is the Old Railway Line Bridge, constructed in 1988. Linking the Old Railway Line community to the St John’s axis in Freetown.The bridge is one of the city’s oldest and most vital links. Yet it is in deplorable condition, posing serious risks to pedestrians and vehicles that use it daily. Left unchecked, it could become the site of the next disaster.
Sierra Leone cannot afford to treat these collapses as isolated accidents. They are part of a pattern of neglect that endangers lives and cripples communities. The government, through the Ministry of Works and the Sierra Leone Roads Authority (SLRA), must launch a national program to audit, rehabilitate, or replace all colonial and aging bridges. Such a program should include:
- A comprehensive bridge inventory and risk assessment system.
- Immediate rehabilitation of high-risk structures like the Old Railway Line Bridge.
- Adequate budget allocation for regular inspections and preventive maintenance.
- The adoption of climate-resilient engineering standards that account for heavy rains and flooding.
Every rainy season, Sierra Leoneans brace for tragedies that could have been prevented. Rehabilitating the country’s oldest and most vulnerable bridges is not just a matter of infrastructure it is a matter of public safety and national responsibility. The Old Railway Line Bridge and other colonial-era structures must be urgently revisited before Sierra Leone suffers another avoidable disaster.
In a recent development, the SLRA announced restrictions on the Old Railway Line Bridge at Brookfields, stating that only lightweight vehicles are now permitted to use it. A few years ago, residents in the area had already raised concerns about the bridge’s deteriorating state, with the media also highlighting the issue. At the time, SLRA engineers assured the public that the bridge was in good condition, an assessment now proven to be dangerously flawed. This glaring disconnect between engineers and management within the Authority raises serious questions about its competence and credibility.
Allowing only light vehicles cannot prevent disaster. Many members of the public are now calling for the total closure of the bridge to all vehicular traffic until comprehensive rehabilitation is carried out.
On August 26, 2025, SLRA Management confirmed that physical barriers will be installed to enforce a four-ton load limit on the bridge. The Authority also assured that plans are underway to retrofit the structure with the aim of restoring normal vehicular traffic as soon as possible. Motorists have been strongly urged to comply with the restrictions, while SLRA apologized for any inconvenience caused, stressing that public safety remains its top priority.
But public safety cannot be reduced to apologies and half measures. The SLRA has too often reacted only after public outcry or tragedy, rather than proactively safeguarding lives. By repeatedly dismissing early warnings and delaying meaningful interventions, the Authority has undermined public trust and placed communities in unnecessary danger.
What Sierra Leoneans demand now is not another temporary restriction or empty assurance, but decisive government action. The Ministry of Works must hold the SLRA to higher standards of accountability, with strict timelines for bridge rehabilitation and transparent reporting to the public. Anything less would amount to negligence.
If the lessons of King Jimmy, Mabang, Savage Street, and Mahelayhun are not heeded, Sierra Leone will almost certainly mourn again and this time, the blame will rest squarely on the shoulders of those entrusted to prevent disaster.
