The team from the Ghana Highway Authority working on the bridge last Saturday evening
The Ministry of Roads and Highways through the Ghana Highway Authority has undertaken major maintenance works on the bridge spanning River Butre at the Ewuseijoe section of the Takoradi-Agona Nkwanta N1 Highway in the Western Region.
The bridge, which developed major faults, posed serious danger to motorists who use the stretch.
The maintenance works which began on May 13, 2023, has successfully been completed.
The bridge was scheduled to reopen at 10:00 am on Sunday, May 14, 2023 however, due to circumstances unforeseen, it was postponed to 10:00pm.
The maintenance works was undertaken by the Bridge Maintenance Unit of the Ghana Highway Authority under the sponsorship of the Government of Ghana.
The Butre Bridge is a vital link between the sea port of Takoradi with the rest of the Western and Western North regions and Ghana’s neighbor to the West, Cote d’Ivoire.
In an interview, Project Manager at the Bridge Maintenance Unit of the Ghana Highway Authority, Ing. Nyantakyi Baah, explained that the maintenance was necessary because the expansion joints on both sides of the bridge had become damaged.
He indicated that the damage resulted in a heavy vibration when heavy vehicles used the bridge.
“Beyond that, a deep crack developed in the first transverse beam, posing real danger to motorists”.
“So we have repaired the cracks in the first transverse beam and after which we worked on the expansion joints, as well as the approach slabs to the bridge, which was also damaged”, he revealed.
Meanwhile, the Takoradi to Agona Nkwanta road of the N1 Highway remains in a deplorable state.
Motorists and residents along the stretch though happy about the maintenance works done on the bridge demanded that the entire stretch be fixed.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi