JPLG Bridge Inaugurated at Arra-baidey (2015)

On 9 May 2015, Somaliland Sun reported that a bridge connecting the Marodijeh and Togdeer regions had been inaugurated at Arra-baidey. The report said the bridge cost USD 76,000 and was a joint venture of the Hargeisa municipality in conjunction with the Joint Program for Local Governance (JPLG).

Acting Mayor Cllr. Abdiaziz Mohammed Hashi cut the ribbon at the function, according to the report. JPLG representative Said Aden Hussein acted as master of ceremony.

The report gave the bridge's dimensions as 30 metres long, 7 metres wide and 3 metres deep. It stated that the area was usually completely impassable both during rainy and non-rainy seasons, without citing a baseline study.

Somaliland Sun reported that the construction company AWCCO implemented the building of the bridge, citing AWCCO officials present. The report also said the bridge was completed slightly later than the earmarked schedule, but did not give a target or revised completion date.

The report quoted the acting Mayor saying that tax money returns to the community through such facilities: "This testifies that tax money goes back to the society", and "the more taxes are paid by the populace the more the services to the public is dispensed". The acting Mayor also described the bridge as a lifeline for local dairy farmers, according to the report.

The town chief told city residents that the facility was a testimony to the fact that tax money went back to the community, the report said. The town chief was not named.

The report did not state what has happened to the bridge since the 2015 inauguration. It provided no information on maintenance, damage, rehabilitation, traffic, or whether the structure remains in use. The report also did not specify whether the USD 76,000 figure represented the contract value, construction cost, or total project cost, nor how much JPLG and the Hargeisa municipality each contributed. No contract award document or procurement record for AWCCO was cited.