The 240-metre long Yapei bridge linking Tamale in the Northern Region to Kintampo in the Brong Ahafo Region will from this evening be closed to traffic for emergency repair works to be carried out.
The repair works, which begins from 6:00pm Wednesday, will cost the government GHC49,900 and it is expected to be completed on June 1.
Engineers are expected to fill portions of the bridge with concrete, repair cracks and replace slabs of the almost 60-year old steel bridge.
Roads and Highways Minister, Kwasi Amoako Attah, and some engineers visited the site Tuesday to assess the condition of the bridge which has developed some structural defect.
Amoako-Attah told journalists government has voted an amount of 75million dollars for the construction of three new bridges over the White and Black Volta Lakes in the Northern Region – Yapei, Buipe, and Daboya bridges- to end the “spontaneous repair works” on those bridges which he said have outlived their lifespan.
“We need totally new bridges on all the rivers in northern region especially the Yapei, Buipe, and Daboya bridges and that’s what we intend to do after government allocated $75 million for the construction of the three bridges” he said.
Mr Kwasi Amoako-Attah also called on motorists to bear with the engineers during this partial closure of the bridge. The bridge will be accessible to motorists between 6:00am to 6:00pm daily.
Meanwhile, the team also visited the Buipe bridge which was closed to traffic in March this year for a similar maintenance work.
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