Regent of Dagbon appeals for the rehabilitation of ‘Dakar bridge’

The Regent of Dagbon Kampakuya Naa Andani Yakubu Abdulai has appealed to the Minister of Roads and Highways to inspect and rehabilitate river ‘Dakar Bridge’ on the road between Yendi and Tamale to avert its collapse.

He said the bridge, which had become a death trap due to lack of maintenance could be likened to a time-bomb that was waiting for the slightest touch to explode.

The Regent made the appeal when he briefed the Media at the Gbewaa Palace after travelling on the bridge.

He said the bridge, one of the oldest that were constructed in the then Gold Coast era was expanded in 1940s and since then, no major maintenance was carried out on it, making it vulnerable.

The Regent said the closure of the Yapei and Bupei bridges had aggravated the situation on the bridge as more heavy duty vehicles used it from Burkina Faso, Niger, Tamale and Bolgatanga through Yendi to Accra within the Eastern Corridor road.

The Kampakuya Naa said it was about time the Minister of Roads and Highways moved urgently to save the people from any calamity.

He also suggested to the Ministry of Roads and Highways to divert the route of heavy duty vehicles to use the Tamale- Karaga through Gushegu to Yendi road to the Volta Region to Accra to save the bridge from collapsing.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency, Mr Abdul-Majeed Chemdo, Secretary of the Yendi Branch of Ghana private Road Transport Union of Trade Union Congress (TUC) who conducted media around the bridge indicated that articulator trucks carrying grains ranging from 500 bags in each truck used the same bridge.

According to him, vehicles from Yendi, Chereponi, Tatale, Sanguli, Saboba, Zabzugu, Bimbilla, Wulensi Districts that plied the road to Tamale all used the weak bridge, a situation that was more frightening.