Court Halts Weighbridge Construction in Careysburg Amidst Controversies

CAREYSBURG CITY, MONTSERRADO COUNTY: The Careysburg Magisterial Court has issued a stop order on the construction of the Weighbridge project in Careysburg City due to environmental safety concerns and land ownership disputes.

The Weighbridge project is under construction by the Ministry of Transport through the National Road Fund. The Weighbridge aims to track overloaded vehicles and design mechanisms to prevent road damage.

The court's stay order on the project followed documents presented by residents, which indicated that the project site lies in a protected wetland within the city.

In addition to the environmental safety concerns, residents noted that alleged backfilling of the site was already underway and that natural waterways were blocked, raising fears about flooding and long-term erosion.

“This project is being constructed on a wetland, and the continued backfilling poses serious environmental risks to surrounding communities,” one of the petitioners told the court during the hearing.

Officials of the Ministry of Transport have consistently argued that the facility would help curb overloading by trucks, a major contributor to road deterioration and traffic accidents, with the environmental risks considered.

The Weighbridge project site in Careysburg has also become a subject of heated land ownership claims. The Sims family in the area formally petitioned the court, claiming legal ownership of a parcel of the designated land for the project.

“This land has never been lawfully acquired by the city or the Ministry of Transport,” a representative of the Sims family told the court. “Any development taking place there is being done without our consent.”

Court filings further revealed that parts of the same property were previously sold to another family, deepening the conflicts over ownership claims and casting doubt on how the land was made available for public use.

Meanwhile, during the proceedings, Careysburg City Mayor Edwin Urey was summoned to appear before the court to provide insights on the land disputes surrounding the project site.

Speaking to judicial reporters after his appearance quite recently, Mayor Urey stated: “We are not happy with the stay order, but we respect the rule of law. As city authorities, we acted in what we believed was the best interest of development, road safety, and the economic well-being of our people.”

He further clarified that the city's cooperation with the project is not intended to violate any environmental or land regulations".

“At no point did the city set out to break the law or damage the environment,” he added. “We will fully cooperate with the court and all relevant agencies as investigations continue," Mayor Edwin Urey said.

The Careysburg City Mayor, at the same time, appealed for calm among residents, noting that the legal process will determine the future of the project.

The matter has since been adjourned to allow the court to further review evidence and hear additional arguments from all parties.