Takoradi: Weak Effia bridge replaced with wooden structure

• Posted on July 19, 2016
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

BARELY a week after the publication by your authoritative The Finder of the weak and dangerous nature of a bridge linking Effia to Effiakuma and other communities, the Sekondi-Takoradi

Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) has moved swiftly to provide a temporal wooden structure over the storm drain.

Residents of the area are naturally happy about the development but were quick to warn that there must be no delay in constructing a new bridge because the wooden structure cannot stand the test of time.

Mr Phillips Evans Nyarko, the Assembly Member of the Effia Electoral, who was very instrumental in the efforts to get the bridge repaired, was particularly elated about the turn of events but said “we have only won the battle but not the war”.

He went on: “My sleepless nights are over but only temporarily. My greatest joy is to see the reconstruction of the original bridge to protect the lives of everyone, particularly women and children.”

He observed that the original bridge got weakened as a result of many years of neglect in terms of maintenance, and expressed the hope that the authorities would change their maintenance culture when the bridge is reconstructed.

It will be recalled that as far back as April, this year, Mr Nyarko drew the attention of the STMA to the weak nature of the bridge and the danger it posed to residents but his efforts to get the bridge repaired by the assembly had yielded no positive results.

Later, the works department of the STMA dispatched engineers to the area to assess the situation and subsequently submit their report on the matter.

The engineers put the cost of repair at GH?200,000 and a tender process was initiated to select a contractor to undertake the work.

When funds were not forthcoming, Mr Joseph Cudjoe, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Effia Constituency, gave the green light for the use of his share of the Common Fund to get the bridge fixed but that was to no avail.

But after last week’s publication by The Finder, the authorities finally pulled down the old bridge and provided a temporal wooden structure.

From Zambaga Rufai SAMINU, Takoradi