Resolving critical challenges: 25 Bridges near completion
Twenty-five bridges spanning rivers and large drainages, mostly in rural communities across the country, will be ready for use next month.
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They are among 50 composite modular steel bridges, ranging from a 20-metre span to a 50-metre span, being constructed to resolve critical challenges in communities and towns across the country as part of a Czech government support for the country.
The 25 bridges, located in nine out of the 16 regions of Ghana, will be handed over to the Ministry of Roads and Highways next month.
The €50-million project is being executed by Knights Ghana Limited, a subsidiary company of Knights a.s of the Czech Republic under an agreement between the governments of Ghana and the Czech Republic.
Some of the bridges are replacements for old ones, while others are being provided for the very first time.
When completed, the project is expected to enhance the daily activities of residents, who are currently facing difficulty in commuting from one place to another.
Location of bridges
The bridges, which vary in length between 20 and 50 metres, are over the Okurudu stream at Kpormottey in the Central Region, the Okwenya Bridge over the Okwe River (Somanya-Akuse Junction Rd) in the Eastern Region, the Akim Mampong – Adasawase Bridge over the Birim River in the Eastern Region, the Community 19 Bridge at Klagon (Abattoir), Tema in the Greater Accra Region, the bridge over River Densu at Ayigbe Town, Weija in the Greater Accra Region, and the Community 12 Bridge at Klagon stream, also in the Greater Accra Region.
Others are the Ochi River Bridge on the Breman - Asikuma road in the Central Region, the Awotwe Jn – Awotwe Bridge over the Samri River in the Central Region; the bridge over the Densu River on the Nankese -Atwakan - Bomponso No 2 Road in the Eastern Region; the bridge over the stream on the Asokore - Kuma Road in the Eastern Region; the bridge over the stream on the Kyebi – Kasajan road in the Eastern Region; the bridge over the stream on the Adarkwa-Addo Nkwanta road in the Eastern Region; the bridge over the Banko River on the Essieninpong – Timeabu Road in the Ashanti Region, and the bridge over the Atekrom River on the Azimsum – Azoribisi road in the Upper East Region.
The rest are the bridge over the Kamba River on the Sentu-Girigan-Kpari road in the Upper West Region, the bridge over the Kaworo River on the Kunchogu - Kwapong road, also in the Upper West Region; the bridge over the Daka River on the Lanja – Bofoyili road in the Northern Region; the bridge over the Tano River on the Chiraa – Mankranho road in the Ashanti Region; the bridge over the stream on the Ayensuakor – Doutu road in the Central Region; the bridge over the Tano River on the Acherensua – Ntotroso Road in the Ahafo Region; the bridge over the stream on the Sokode - Bame road in the Volta Region; the Osoroase Krobom - Sea Abenaso Bridge over the Sea River in the Eastern Region; the bridge over a stream on the Kokoso - Bohyen road in the Ashanti Region and the Abenase - Asousuaso – Boamadumas Bridge over the Banko River in the Ashanti Region.
Project update
The bridge at Akim Mampong Adasawase
The Project Manager for Knights Ghana, Mr Solomon Andoh, made this known when a Czech delegation visited one of the sites in Tema to inspect ongoing works.
The delegation was led by the Czech Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, M. Martin Tlapa, and the Czech Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Jan Fury.
Work on the various bridge projects started in June 2020 and is scheduled to be completed in 2022.
Throwing light on the project, Mr Andoh said ongoing construction work at Tema Community 12 in the Greater Accra Region was 80 per cent complete.
When completed, he explained, the project would create a third access to Tema from Accra, making it easier for residents of Tema communities 11 and 12 to travel to Accra within a short period of time.
On the other bridge projects, Mr Andoh said work had begun and the company was on schedule to finish and hand them over to the Ministry of Roads and Highways for public use.
He said the projects at Okwenya, Akuse in the Eastern Region, Okrudu at Kasoa in the Central Region, as well as Weija in the Greater Accra Region, were all at various stages of completion.
Czech delegation impressed
In his interaction with Knight officials at the site, Mr Tlapa, who is in Ghana for bilateral negotiations on trade-related activities, said the delegation wanted to see the progress of work being executed by Knights a.s.
He said the bilateral relationship between Ghana and the Czech Republic was strong and expressed the hope that more projects could be embarked on by the two countries.
For his part, Ambassador Fury said he had the opportunity to meet with the Minister of Roads and Highways, Mr Kwesi Amoako Atta, last year, and that the minister expressed satisfaction with the quality of work being executed by Knights a.s.
He said the minister also assured him of the ministry's willingness to continue with 100 of the bridges this year, which would be the second and the third tranches of the project.
The bridge at Okwenya 1
Tranches
Explaining the different figures concerning the number of bridges being constructed under the MoU, the Chief Executive Officer and Board Chairman of Knights a.s., Dr Karl Laryea, said the number was 200 during the signing in 2007, at a cost of €200 million.
He indicated that due to financial constraints, the contract was broken down into four tranches, and in April 2019, an agreement for the first tranche of 50 was signed.
Dr Laryea further explained that on that same day in April, a Czech Republic bank, Cellophanes Obchodni banka, a.s., signed a loan agreement for the project with Ghana’s Ministry of Finance.
"This agreement came into force on June 1, 2020 and we are expected to complete it by the end of 2022. Out of the ongoing 50 bridges, we are supposed to fully inaugurate 25 of them by the end of March 2022, while the remaining 25 will be handed over to the ministry by the end of this year," he explained.
Dr Laryea added that due to the "excellent work being done by Knights, the Minister of Roads and Highways had decided to start the process of acquiring funds for both the second and the third tranches this year, so that by 2023, when we would have finished with the first tranche, we can start the second tranche".
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