Residents who use the Bongo-Balungu-Namoo road in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region have described the Balungu bridge as a death trap and are calling on the government to fix it immediately.
The residents say the bridge which has collapsed is having a negative impact on workers and traders especially when it rains.
The Balungu bridge connects residents in communities such as Lungo, Balungu, Sambolgo, and Namoo to the Bongo township, but the edges of the bridge have washed off rendering the 8km Bongo-Balungu-Namoo road inaccessible especially during this rainy season.
Drivers of articulated trucks who hitherto plied this route to neighbouring Burkina-Faso, have now resorted to using the Navrongo-Paga road to Burkina Faso.
Some government workers told Citi News that the collapse of the bridge is hurting businesses.
Jacob Mba, a teacher at Zorkor D/A JHS, said “the contractor came with his machines and pulled the bridge down and we thought he was going to fix the bridge for us immediately but its rather unfortunate the collapsed bridge remains undone”.
“When it rains, the natives here help people to cross the bridge at a fee of GH5.00 or GHC10.00, and if you can’t pay then you have to go back home. It is really affecting our productivity, and we want the government to address this problem for us”.
Alogre Vanesa, a worker at Bongo Rural bank, stated that “the bridge is really dangerous, one time I even fell here and if it rains you can’t cross unless the community guys help you to cross and they charge GHC5.00 or GHC10.00”.
The current situation is equally affecting Pregnant women and school children in their quest to access social services.
A student of Holy Trinity Academy, Akuba Lucille, said when it rains she is unable to go to school because she can’t cross the collapsed bridge and hence wants duty bearers to fix the bridge for them.
Even though President Nana Addo cut the sod for the construction of the 8km Bongo-Balungu-Namoo road in July 2018, the contractor is yet to commence construction works on the road.
–
By: Frederick Awuni/citinewsroom.com/Ghana