Recent rains in the Ashanti Region have led to the destruction of a bridge that connects Abuakwa-Apemhase and Abakomadi in the Atwima Nwabiagya South municipality.
The inhabitants within the area as well as other neighbouring communities want the government to as a matter of urgency fix the broken bridge.
According to the residents, the bridge was already in a poor state, but it broke down completely when the rainy season set in this year.
Vehicles from the Abuakwa Apemhase stretch are unable to go beyond the part where the bridge has broken down.
Commuters from Abakomadi are also forced to walk long distances to cross to Apemhase and other neighbouring communities due to the state of the bridge.
The inhabitants in the community struggle on a daily basis, as those with vehicles, are compelled to park them in their houses and trek to the other pick-up points to have access to commercial vehicles.
Some residents recounted their challenges with Citi News and called on the government to consider fixing the bridge immediately.
“The bridge and the poor road network are our main challenges here. The bridge, in particular, has been our main problem. It broke down when it rained heavily here. Residents from the other end cannot cross with their cars. We have a car parked in the house, but I have to take the commercial vehicle with my family to church since we cannot use the car here. Motorbike users also cannot use this stretch. We have complained about the state of the bridge, several times. Last year, we were told a contractor has been awarded a contract to work on it to the extent that they cleared the place including demolishing shops on the stretch, but they all vanished right after the elections.”
“Children from the other towns cannot come to school here unless they use an alternate route, which is very long. So we are appealing to the government to come and help us by fixing the bridge for us”, a resident, Shadrach Adu Gyamfi lamented.
Drivers who used to ply the stretch on a daily basis say the development has negatively affected them.
They have associated themselves with calls for the authorities to fix the broken bridge.
“Drivers who ply Abuakwa to Abakomadi and lotto kiosk can no longer use it due to the state of the bridge. We are not able to charge the right fares due to the situation. The bridge and the poor road network have been in this state for a long time. We are appealing to authorities to help us,” a driver, David Owusu stated.
“We are facing a lot of challenges here. Drivers here are suffering. Our cars break down most of the time. We take our cars to mechanic shops every three days due to the nature of the road. There are always problems with our cars due to this challenge. Our appeal to the government is for them to pay attention to our problems,” another driver, Musah Abdul Razak, added.
Source: Citi News
