The New Hill Bypass Road in Freetown is 98% completed, according to various reports.

The new road will reportedly be named after former President of Sierra Leone, Ahmed Tejan Kabba, who commissioned it in 2005.

The road runs from Dwazark Junction in the west end of the city to Black Hall Road in the east end.

Upon completion, the new road is expected to ease the slow and costly travel burden citizens undergo in the Central Business district. It will also provide a route for the east-west bypass to divert traffic from the city center.

According to reports, the New Hill Bye Pass Road entails a new four-lane, 3.7 km-long paved road; installation of culverts and drainage works to prevent flooding; provision of fencing, guard rails, traffic signs and pavement markings.

The project, designed in two phases, was meant to be co-funded by the government and several international development partners, among them the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) and the Kuwaiti Fund for Arab and the Economic Development.The initial funding for the project came from OFID through a US$6million loan agreement signed in 2005 as part payment for the first phase, which had several other co-funders.

With some 17,500 vehicles reportedly expected to use the bypass daily, Freetown’s many commuters will benefit from quicker, easier access to the city.