For nearly 30 years, people moving between Grand Bassa Boing and Nimba counties face horrible nightmare as the risk their lives cross the St John River, on a severely damaged infrastructure
The St John bridge was so bad that as one bike rider puts, “old people never use to cross at all” and “it was just for us the youth because I tell you straight talk it was really dangerous”.
“If you think I’m lying, ask anyone around this entire St John, people from Nimba, Buchanan, Compound #3 and other places spent hours here trying to cross their things one by one”, said Samule Zeopugar.
But interestingly all this changed a few weeks ago with the complete renovation and refurbishment of the St John Bridge entirely done by ArcelorMittal Liberia and Zeopugar and his fellow bikers can now cross with ease while overlook dozens of train wagons pass above the yellow and black refurbished St John Bridge which also carries and pedestrian’s walkway.
At the formal dedication of the newly renovated St John bridge held in Frand Diggs Town (Kilometre 94) on Friday, December 10, 2025, Julius Saywala, Superintendent of Sub Structure Maintenance at Arcelor Mittal Liberia
The At John Access Road Bridge completion signifies the dedication and passion of the ArcelroMittal to achieve greater tasks that can help to improve the lives of communities that form part of the company operations.
Constructed in 1960 by the Liberian American Mining Company LAMCO designed to connect Bong County to Grand Bassa county forming a link between the interior and the coastal post city of Buchanan
Seved as critical infrastructure for the transportation of locally produced agriculture products and minerals between the Grand Bassa, Boing and Nimba Counties by has suffered natural significant wear a tear due to lack of maintenance
By the end of the civil war, the bridge had become notoriously unsafe with structural weakness reparteed reports of near collapsed condition with stories told of fatal accidents and destruction of properties
Friday’s dedicatory ceremony was attended by local authorities from both Grand Bassa and Bong County including Superintendent Hawa Norris, Representatives Alfread Quennah and Alfred Flomo.
The leaders thanked ArcelorMittal Liberia for its commitment to get the bridge completed and hailed the exceptional performance of the team of engineers who made the rehabilitation possible.
On July 1, 2025, AML began the process of rehabilitating the bridge with a team of 50 community workers and 20 technicians were contracted to work with eight AML employees to fix the 240-meter bridge.
“During this period, we deployed the best safety materials to overcome the hazards of working at height, working over water and working with adverse weather throughout the rainy season”, said Julius Saywala
During the period of work, the team undersaw the replacement of 800 bridge sleepers, insertion and weldering of high beam, timber running boards, reinforcement of rigidity of bridge, erection of road guards including pedestrian walkways, reenforced concrete pavement at both ends of the bridge.
Vaani Kiazolu, Community Relations Manager for ArcelorMittal Liberia speaking on behalf of AML chief executive thanked the communities for supporting the rehabilitation of the bridge saying “without the communities the work could not have been done”
Kiazolu thanked President Boakai for providing the enabling environment for the company to work and help empower communities while at the same time urging communities to channel theory gradience through their leaders
Said the AML Community Relations Manager: “I want to appeal to all of our people. This bridge is for all of us.. the most important is how we maintain it. It is not an MDA obligation”
He said AML undertook the bridge renovation to further show its good corporate citizenship standing and show its commitment to community development.
