Rehabilitation works on the Adomi Bridge at Atimpoku in the Asuogyaman District in the Eastern Region is nearing completion.
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Adomi bridge rehabilitation 80% complete
Engineers of Bilfinger MCE GmbH of Austria who are working on the project said the work was 82 per cent complete and it would be handed over to the government in November.
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This came to light when a delegation from the Association of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors of Ghana (ABCECG) paid a working visit to the site last Thursday.
The visit was to enable the delegation to know the progress of work at first hand, as well as what was left to be done.
The bridge was closed in March last year for rehabilitation.
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Lack of maintenance on the 335m bridge, which was built in 1955 and opened to traffic in 1957, led to the collapse of one of the steel beams supporting it.
Two others also developed serious cracks later on, resulting in a depression on a section of the bridge.
The bridge connects parts of the Eastern Region and Juapong in the North Tongu District, Ho, Hohoe and other towns in the Volta Region.
Scope of work
The Project Manager of Bilfinder MCE GmbH, Dr Paul Hermann, who briefed the delegation, said the entire bridge deck had been replaced with a new one.
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He explained that the bridge deck was in five pieces which were welded together before it was launched.
Even though the old deck was made of concrete on steel, Dr Herman said the new bridge would be of asphalt on steel as the concrete was much heavier.
He said when maintained well the bridge could last for more than 100 years.
The Resident Engineer, Mr Victor Nyantakyi-Baah, said, at the moment the engineers were working on corrosion protection.
He said the two walkways on each side of the bridge would, however, be made of concrete on steel and also a new tollbooth would be sited about 1.2 kilometres from the bridge.
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Mr Nyantakyi-Baah said an inspection platform would be fixed under the bridge to detect any defects that might develop on the bridge, adding that some local engineers had been trained to handle any defects, if any, in the future.
Association’s perspective
The President of the ABCECG, Mr Martins Kwasi Nnuro, expressed satisfaction with the progress of work made on the bridge.
He advised drivers, particularly of trucks, to maintain a maximum weight of 11.5 tons in order to maintain the bridge for effective use and called on the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) to put in place a monitoring mechanism to check the load weights of vehicles using the bridge to protect its lifespan.
Further, Mr Nnuro requested that the Ministry of Water Works and Housing, the Ministry of Roads and Highway and the Ghana Highway Authority should collaborate with the association to further develop the construction industry.
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Credit: graphic.com.gh
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