ADOMI BRIDGE MUST BE PROTECTED

BEGINNING today, the Adomi Bridge at Atimpoku in the Eastern Region, which links the south-eastern part of the country to the Volta and northern regions, will remain closed to vehicular traffic for a three-week repair work following the detection of serious cracks in the structure.
Since it was opened in 1956 by Dr Kwame Nkrumah, then Head of Government Business, this famous and treasured edifice has seen only one major repair works and it is no wonder that one of the steel beams supporting it is said to have collapsed, while two others have developed serious cracks, resulting in a depression on a section of the bridge.
It is good that the problem has been discovered early enough to save the country from an imminent catastrophe, considering the fact that the remaining supporting beams have taken on the additional load of 880 tonnes of steel which the bridge is made of.
According to our lead story yesterday, some residents of Atimpoku said the problem was first detected about two months ago by some fishermen who made several reports to the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA).
The DAILY GRAPHIC finds it worrying that it had taken the authority more than two months to follow up on the report of the fishermen, since anything could have happened during the period since the danger was uncovered.
If the authority had acted with dispatch on the report of the fishermen, it could have given the public ample notice of the closure of the bridge and alternative routes given.
We call on the authority to advertise all the other alternative routes to be used if it becomes apparent that even human traffic on the bridge would be dangerous.
Following the closure of the bridge, residents of the Volta Region will be significantly cut off from the rest of the country, as road transportation will significantly be hampered. Commuters have to make a detour to the regional capital and other parts of the region through Sogakope via Akatsi, Dodze and Ziope to Ho, or Sogakope through Adidome to Ho.
Similarly, those who will be going to the fringes of Juapong and nearby communities will either have to resort to canoes as an alternative means of crossing the river from Atimpoku to the Volta Region or crossing over to the other end of the bridge to board vehicles.
We envisage the situation to create congestion at both ends of the bridge because some drivers would want to stop at Atimpoku for travellers to walk to the other end of the bridge to board vehicles.
Let us use this opportunity to overhaul the bridge to forestall any catastrophe and the inconveniences that have occasioned the present closure of the facility.
It is hoped that the authorities will control the use of the bridge by providing axle weighing equipment at the approaches to it to check the weight of heavy vehicles that use the facility.
Our poor maintenance culture has been gravely exposed and we need to wake up to the need to protect our assets. Everybody should, therefore, co-operate with the authorities to restore the Adomi Bridge to facilitate effective transportation.