Residents and commuters along the Zanleri-Gane-Gandork road in the Nabdam District of the Upper East Region are gripped by fear over the possible collapse of the bridge.
The deplorable bridge has deep and wide holes at its opposite ends with visible sights of weaknesses as its concrete floor has been washed away with its iron rods exposed.
This, coupled with the deplorable nature of the road, is said to be causing accidents, impeding movement, and slowing down economic activities in the area.
Residents and some traders at the Zanlerigu Market who shared their ordeal with A1 News lamented that the broken bridge was a major threat to their lives and livelihoods, adding that Tricycle drivers use the bridge as an excuse to charge exorbitant fares.
A resident of the Zanlerigu community, Azumah Yen-borrah, said “Our woes have become a profiteering avenue for tricycle drivers because they use the bridge as an excuse to charge us exorbitant fares, and even with that, they are sometimes unwilling to transport us from Bolgatanga to Gundork due to the bad nature of the bridge.”
A grain trader at the Zanlerigu Market, Mrs. Kologmah Naoh, noted that even though there were several accidents in the area, a memorable one was a fatal accident that occurred on March 7, 2023, at the bridge.
She narrated that two people on a Haojue Mapuka motorbike ran into the hole of the broken bridge, resulting in multiple fractures with their bodies pierced with iron rods.
The Assemblyman for the Zanlerigu-Dagliga Electoral area, Mr Maxwell Divom said any further delay in the reconstruction of the bridge would worsen the plight of travellers and called for immediate action by the Assembly.
He said his outfit has officially written to the District Assembly about the broken bridge, but he has yet to receive a favourable response that addresses the problem.
Ms. Agnes Anamoo, the District Chief Executive, told this reporter via phone interview that though the Assembly was informed about the broken bridge that has become a hotspot for accidents in the area, there are no available funds at the moment to reconstruct the bridge
The Engineer went and had an observation of it, but as to when it would be worked on, it would depend on when funds are available, because we don’t have funds now and we are hoping to address that when funds are made available,” she stated
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Gilbert Azeem Tiroog|Ghana
