GERMAN-BASED TECH COMPANY INTRODUCE NEW ROAD TECHNOLOGIES IN LIBERIA

As the Country grapples with the construction and the rehabilitation of deplorable road infrastructure in most parts of Liberia, especially during the Rainy season which negatively impacts the movement of goods and services as well as citizens, the government of His Excellency, President George Manneh Weah continues to source funding from its International Donor Partners including the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank as well as other Friendly bilateral and multilateral institutions to assist it in the construction and or rehabilitation of major corridors aimed at connecting various Capital cities across Liberia, a Nation that experienced the destruction of its infrastructure during the nearly fourteen years of civil conflict.

For the past five years under the Ruling Coalition for Democratic Change led-government headed by His Excellency Dr. George Manneh Weah, various International Road Construction companies in partnership with their local Counterparts have won several bids to construct and rehabilitate some of those deplorable major roads as well as feeder roads, using the conventional Asphalt or concrete pavements. These roads require regular maintenance to ensure longevity and sustainability otherwise they might get destroyed following the Rainy season which is characterized by a heavy down poll of rain that results to flood.

To address these alarming road situations, the Liberian government in January 2022 entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), with the Blue Climate Deutschland GmbH, a German-based infrastructure development Company to assist it address some of these crucial road situations with a specific focus on the rural counties. Blue Climate Deutschland is credited for using its new technology, UNDERBOLD-POD30 which is the mixture of the existing soil, cement, and a manufactured organic liquid with the machine used to compress the mixture.

Speaking to Daniel Nyeswah Brooklyn, Communications Manager of EXTROW, one of the partnering companies locally and along with some reporters in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, the first selected County where the pilot phase of 250meters Road leading to Rivercess and other South-Eastern Counties are being implemented, the Chief Executive Officer of Blue Climate Robert Steinmann, giving historicity of the new Technology said from 2011, UNDERBOLD-POD30 began to be used and applied in Countries around the World.

“Today, UNDERBOLD-POD30 is used in several areas such as in the construction and rehabilitation of roads of any category, in the construction of infrastructure for airfields, in construction and industrial roads as well as logistic and storage areas, Blue Climate Chief Executive Officer told the Communication Manager and reporters while touring the Company’s operation in the Port City of Buchanan at the Weekend.

According to CEO Steinmann, his company has come to join the government and people of Liberia to provide an affordable, durable, and sustainable road infrastructure development because the lack of these basic qualities of the road might lead to the government spending lots of monies to rehabilitate and maintain the infrastructure annually, which could undermine developments intended for other areas. He also mentioned that the UNDERBOLD-POD30 is 100% environment-friendly, ecologically unproblematic in production, conserves resources of raw materials and hazardous landfill, as well as the reduction of CO2- emissions from the production and use, and longevity, protects the environment.

CEO Robert Steinmann said with the immense support from the citizens and the local County Administration in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County headed by Superintendent Janjay Barpeh as well as the County’s engineers from the Ministry of Public Works, the County Project Planner, Thomas H. Davies; BLUE CLIMATE-Liberia will leave a remarkable road infrastructure development in the County.

Clean Water

Expanding further on the Company’s operation, CEO Steinmann said once the pilot project is embraced and fully implemented to the satisfaction of the Liberian government with the awarding of the Grand Kru County Road Corridor, the Company will assist the Liberian government to provide clean and safe drinking water to the citizens in its operational areas to address the Recycling of waste safe drinking water situation.

“It is disheartening to learn that over eleven thousand children died as a result of drinking contaminated water and we can help address that situation as well, Steinmann lamented.

Waste for Energy

He also asserted that Blue Climate Liberia Inc., together with the Blue Climate Group in Switzerland, can help Liberia to get a solution for Waste for Green Energy and to recover Green Energy from the waste.

Blue Climate Technical Engineer Friedrich Steck who also spoke with Journalists at the Project site in Buchanan, explained that the main problem affecting the roads in Liberia is flooding from rainwater, but with the advent of new technology, there is no need to worry about road maintenance because the technology serves as waterproof and one that allows the road to last at least 10 years. The benefits of the UNDERBOLD-POD30, which is new to Liberia are enormous and just to name a few, it increases the load capacity, increases the stiffness modulus, increases elasticity, reduction of setting time, reducing the tendency to shrink, and thus virtually free of cracks, no nicks or relaxing required, increase the dimensional stability in the cross-section, Hydrophobic setting and the reduction of water penetration, completely resistant to frost and heat, adaptable use depending on the soil condition and water content and can be combined and extended with measures to improve and consolidation of the foundation soil, Mr. Steck told our reporter in Buchanan.

According to Mr. Steck, the company will also train the local Liberian workers on the operations of the heavy-duty equipment and the procedures used to mix the soul, cement, organic chemical, and water which will help build their capacity following the completion of the project in Liberia as well as provides technical travels to Germany.

He said though the UNDERBOLD-POD30 is new in Africa including Liberia his Company has made significant impacts in other countries around the world including Russia, in 2008 and 2018, it carried out the stabilization of the national highway outside Novosibirsk while in Brazil, it implemented the renovation of residential roads and industrial streets and in Serbia and Muskat/Oman the company implemented the stabilization and rehabilitation of existing local roads with the UNDERBOLD-POD30 technology.

Also speaking, was the Grand Bassa County Project Planner, Thomas H. Davies who expressed excitement over the introduction of the new technology in Liberia with Buchanan, Grand Bassa being the first to be selected for the pilot phase.

Mr. Davies who described the new technology as fast, sustainable, affordable, durable, and adaptable said, the local County Administration headed by the Grand Jury of the President, Superintendent Janjay Barpeh and the Bassa citizens are very impressed with the construction of the Roads, using such amazing technology for the first time in the Country.

According to him, from all indications as an engineer, he is optimistic that the new UNDERBOLD-POD30 technology will be embraced based on the success stories from other countries around the World as he calls on the local citizenry to lend their fullest support to the Company in ensuring timely completion of the pilot project.

Meanwhile, an Eminent Bassa Citizen and an employee of the Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation in Grand Bassa County, Morris N. Glay said even though, he could not say much about the new technology because of its newness to Liberia, he is hopeful that the technology will solve the long existing problem being faced by citizens in Grand Bassa county and other parts of the region.

The Liberian Government through the Ministry of Public Works extended the January 21, 2022, Memorandum of Understanding with the Blue Climate Deutschland Germany from October 31, 2022, to April 30, 2023, Test Road project leading to the contract award for the construction and rehabilitation/pavement upgrade of Nkrokia junction in Grand Kru County to Kaneakan junction in Rivergee county road corridor.

Considering the challenges ahead, Blue Climate Liberia Inc. is asking the Liberian government to finalize the contracting process through the Ministry of Public Works with them as soon as possible so that Blue Climate Liberia Inc. can plan the project in line with the Liberian government at an early stage and can appropriately implement the start of the coming dry season.