The steel bridge over the Pra River at Paawudu which links the Akyemansa District in the Eastern Region to New Edubiase in the Ashanti Region has been repaired and reopened to traffic.
The bridge was damaged about six months ago when a low-bed articulated truck carrying an earth-moving machine destroyed parts of it and blocked access to other road users on March 28, 2019.
Damage
Most of the bolts and nuts holding the steel bridge in position got removed from their joints, causing half of the bridge to cave in.
The collapse of the bridge compelled drivers and other commuters travelling from Oda, Ayirebi, Akyem Ofoase, Asamankese and Agona Swedru to Kumasi, Obuasi and vice versa to make a detour through Akyem Aperade to join the main Cape Coast-Kumasi road at Brofoyedu at a huge cost and inconvenience.
The Akyemansa District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Paul Asamoah, opened the rehabilitated bridge in a ceremony at Paawudu last Wednesday.
Gratitude
He said he and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Ayirebi, Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, had appealed to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the Chief of Staff, Ms Frema Osei-Opare, and the Ministry of Roads and Highways for the early rehabilitation of the damaged bridge to restore traffic along that route.
Mr Asamoah said the appeal yielded positive response, as the Bridge Maintenance Unit of the Ghana Highways Authority was awarded the contract to repair the bridge, which took the department about six weeks to complete.
The DCE expressed gratitude to the government and other personalities and organisations which contributed towards the rehabilitation of the bridge.
He advised motorists plying the route to be conscious of traffic regulations and the weight they carried across important projects such as the bridge and to avoid overloading their vehicles to sustain the full life span of the bridge.