Published: June 26, 2026
CAPITOL HILL, Monrovia — Four market women had just stepped off the temporary Payneberry Bridge in Buchanan, heavy loads balanced on their heads, when the swollen river tore the structure apart behind them. Their narrow escape, captured on video and shared widely on social media, has come to stand for a crisis Liberia’s lawmakers have so far refused to touch.
The collapse has disrupted academic activities at Grand Bassa University, stranded thousands of residents, schoolchildren and students, and forced communities onto unsafe canoe crossings at the peak of the rainy season. Yet neither the Senate nor the House of Representatives addressed it during Thursday’s sittings, turning instead to unrelated bills, committee reports and communications.
The wooden bridge, built by the project contractor to keep pedestrians moving while a permanent crossing is constructed, gave way Sunday, June 21, after days of heavy rain raised water levels and weakened the structure. It had been the main route for students at Grand Bassa University and for residents traveling between Buchanan and surrounding communities. Its collapse severed that route, leaving canoes as the only way across.
The video shows residents watching helplessly as floodwaters carried the bridge off moments after the women reached the far bank. Reaching the opposite side, the women turned to see the structure split apart and wash away.
“Y’all tell this government let them help us; it’s not easy,” one of the surviving women cried as she ran from the collapsing bridge.
Residents on both banks shouted that the bridge had “finally cut off,” and many called the women’s survival nothing short of divine intervention. Online, Liberians voiced relief that no lives were lost while faulting authorities for years of neglect.
Victor Massaquoi questioned the inaction of elected officials.
“With the presence of five lawmakers and two senators, no one could have enforced the maintenance and upkeep of this vital infrastructure. The bridge has unfortunately fallen into disrepair after years of neglect,” Massaquoi posted.
Another resident wrote: “How many more times must this happen before action is taken? The students deserve a safe path to education. Where is our leader? We need our leaders to prioritize this now. This wooden structure is a safety hazard that has been ignored for too long. Students are risking their lives just to get to class. Who will take responsibility for this neglect before someone gets hurt?”
Many had expected the collapse to feature on Thursday’s Senate agenda, presided over by Grand Bassa County Senator and Senate Pro Tempore Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence. Instead, senators took up confirmation hearings for presidential nominees, a bill from Margibi County Senator Nathaniel F. McGill to establish the Schieffelin Magisterial Court, and a communication from Lofa County Senator Joseph K. Jallah seeking the appearance of the National Disaster Management Agency and the Liberia Refugee Repatriation and Resettlement Commission to report on disaster preparedness. The bridge was neither listed nor raised before the Senate adjourned.
The House followed a similar path. Under Speaker Richard Nagbe Koon, with House Executive Committee Chairman Rep. Sekou Kanneh, members considered a report on alleged early campaign activities, an amendment to strengthen the mandate of the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment, and a resolution to suspend GLS Menzies and Express Holding Services pending the narcotics investigation at Roberts International Airport. A communication from Grand Bassa County District 4 Rep. Alfred G. Flomo, whose district includes the affected area, did not mention the bridge. It instead sought clarification on tax deductions from pension benefits.
As of Thursday, the 55th National Legislature had taken no formal action, leaving residents and students to keep crossing by canoe through fast-moving floodwaters.
Reached by telephone Thursday, Ministry of Public Works Director of Public Affairs P. Benjamin Myers said the ministry sympathized with affected residents but stressed that the collapsed structure was not its own. The temporary bridge, he said, was built by the project contractor solely to allow pedestrian movement while the permanent crossing went up.
Asked why no emergency response had begun, Myers said the head of the ministry’s Bridge Unit, who also serves as Liberia’s chief engineer, is in China with Jupiter Construction Company.
“Now, so if it has collapsed and it is a concern to the ministry, I will inform the bridge unit so they can move in, or maybe the unit is on their way there,” Myers said.
He said the permanent bridge has reached an advanced stage, with abutments and approach ramps complete and the custom-engineered span, which needs no center support pier, already manufactured in China.
“The head of the bridge unit and the Chief Engineer of Liberia are currently in China with the Jupiter Construction Company to conduct load testing on the new bridge to ensure it can withstand 80 tons,” Myers told The Liberian Investigator.
The bridge is expected to ship within 14 to 45 working days after successful testing, with installation projected for October to December. Myers said the ministry would publish photographs and progress updates from the China test site on its official Facebook page to reassure Grand Bassa residents.
For now, residents still face the swollen river and the daily canoe crossing many say should never have become necessary.
Discussion about this post