South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Awan Achiek
Africa Resource Corporation (ARC) – the firm constructing the Terekeka-Mingkaman section of the 392 kilometers Juba-Rumbek highway on Saturday said that it is working to complete the construction of the section by the end of June this year.
The Juba-Terekeka section (63 kilometers) was completed by Chinese firm Shandong Hi-Speed Group Company Limited (SDHS).
Manong Zechariah, Project Manager of ARC said they have already covered 40 km of the Terekeka-Rumbek section with asphalt.
“The projection was if we have all materials in place, the distance from Terekeka to Guolyar is 80 km which will take us like two months and half maximum,” Zechariah told journalists during inspection of the road project.
“The road is having different types of paves, the clearing pave was done and embankment pave 99 percent is done because we have only 10 km remaining,” he disclosed.
Zachariah said they are using guideline designed by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials for construction of the Terekeka-Rumbek section.
“It is a stretch of 380 km and worldwide because we are not just doing it without using a standard; we are using a standard which we call AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials).”
“AASHTO is adopted worldwide and any road construction is having lifespan minimum of 50 years, and the maximum can go even to 100 years, and so we are not exceptional from that and the lifespan of this road is 50 years,” he said.
Zachariah said that they will do maintenance for additional two years after completing the road.
“Once we are done within two years, we will have another two years for maintenance which will be done by ARC and from there we will hand it over to the government.”
He also revealed plans to expand the 63 kilometer Juba-Terekeka section constructed by Shandong Hi-Speed Co. Ltd.
“We have intention of expanding Juba-Terekeka road and so we will do expansion and we will add a length, our road from Terekeka to Rumbek is 8 lengths.”
Zachariah said that they are using materials which are tested and approved by experts in the Ministry of Roads and Bridges.
“We have laboratory team, quality control team from ARC and the Ministry of Roads and Bridges, and when they didn’t give us go ahead, we can’t use the materials,” he said.
In December 2022, President Salva Kiir Mayardit launched construction of the second phase of Juba-Bahr El Ghazal highway in Mingkaman, Awerial County after commissioning the newly completed 63 kilometers Juba-Terekeka section.
The Juba-Rumbek road is designed to link Central Equatoria State which hosts Juba, the capital of South Sudan, with six other states across the vast east African country.
The 392 km road project is being built under oil-for-roads project.
