The damaged portion of the Sawla to Bole highway in the Savannah Region has been temporarily fixed and opened to traffic.

The road was rendered immotorable following the collapse of the Doli bridge after rains two weeks ago.

Consequently, a pathway has been constructed by engineers from the Ministry of Roads and Highways and the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) to make the road passable.

This is to serve as a stop-gap measure as efforts are underway to permanently fix the broken bridge in the coming days.

For now, pedestrians, tricycles and small vehicles can use the road.

Briefing the media after inspecting work on the bridge yesterday, a Deputy Minister of Roads and Highways, Thomas
Mbomba, advised motoriststo drive with caution on the stretch and follow safety measures put in place,as it is a temporary pathway.

Caution “For now,it is a one way pathway so it is not a permanent road, so motorists should use it with caution as the ministry works tirelessly to fix it permanently,” he said.

He, however, gave an assurance that the ministry was workingtirelessly to reinstate the road as soon as practicable.

Background

A downpour, which lasted for about four hours on Sunday, September 17, 2023 swept away a bridge at Doli in the Bole District in the Savannah Region, making the main road linking the Upper West Region to the south inaccessible.

Road transport from Bole to Wa in the Upper West Region was cut off following a collapsed bridge on the Doli stretch of the route.

The bridge was washed away after a dam by the side of the road broke its bank,causing the road from Bole to Wa to become impassable, a situation that left commuters stranded.

SOURCE: GraphicOnline