Work resume’s on Birim River Bridge Rehab Project

The contractor working on the Birim River Bridge Rehabilitation Project at Akyem Oda in the Eastern Region has returned to site.

The contractor, who resumed duty last week, has stepped up work to convert the part of the bridge which was used by trains into a road for motorists to enable them to complete the project on schedule.

The road is expected to be ready for vehicular use by the end of September 2016, while the entire project to turn the site into a dual carriage way is due to be completed in two months’.

Background

The government awarded the project to the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) for rehabilitation in January 2016 and it was to be completed at the end of March 2016.

However, additional works on the project compelled the Bridge Maintenance Unit of the GHA to shift the completion period to the end of May 2016.

However, the GHA packed bag and baggage and abandoned the work in early May 2016 citing the non-release of more funds by the Ghana Road Fund.

The long closure of the bridge brought untold hardship to drivers and passengers travelling from Oda to New Abirem, Nkawkaw, Kumasi and beyond and vice versa, a situation that compelled some drivers to forcibly open the uncompleted bridge to vehicular traffic.

First phase

The Project Supervisor, Mr Isaac Brown, who spoke to the Daily Graphic at the project site last Tuesday expressed concern over the negative attitude of drivers of timber trucks and heavy duty vehicles who overloaded their vehicles.

According to Mr Brown, the practice by such drivers had damaged the metallic pillars and railings of the bridge which were being replaced at a huge cost.

He, therefore, appealed to the Birim Central Municipal Assembly and opinion leaders in the area to take measures to deal with overloading in order to prolong the lifespan of the bridge.