The Ministry of Roads and Highways has issued a directive, advising heavy-duty vehicle drivers against utilizing the Doli Bridge near Bole in the Savannah Region.
The Doli Bridge, connecting the Upper West Region to the southern part of Ghana, suffered damage from heavy rain on September 17, 2023.
Kwesi Amoako-Attah, the Minister of Roads and Highways, visited the damaged bridge on September 19 and assured the public of its repair within a week.
However, after temporary repairs were carried out, an accident involving an articulated truck once again disrupted the road on Thursday. The truck obstructed both vehicular and pedestrian traffic across the temporary connection intended for buses and smaller vehicles.
Nasir Ahmed Yartey, the Public Relations Officer for the Roads Ministry, emphasized that the temporary connection was designated for buses and smaller vehicles only. Heavy-duty vehicle operators are instructed to continue using the alternative route.
“We are calling on heavy-duty drivers not to use that section of the road. They should still use the diverted route that we created on the road, and the Regional Minister for the Savannah Region issued a press release asking the police to implement these directives to make sure that no heavy-duty vehicle crosses that section of the road, because it is very important that heavy-duty vehicles don’t use that section of the road,” Mr. Yartey stated.
Additionally, Mr. Yartey mentioned that contractors are actively preparing to undertake permanent reconstruction of the Doli bridge.
“In the meantime, the contractor is on site mobilizing to make sure that the construction of the main bridge is done in earnest and is finished in good time so that the road can be permanently reinstated. But as we do that, it is going to take some time because it is concrete work that we are going to do,” he stated.
