THE Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) is to install high speed weight-in-motion electronic sensors and automatic gates at both ends of the Adomi Bridge to prevent trucks with excess loads from using the bridge.
The sensors, which will be erected at the Atimpoku and the Juapong ends of the bridge, will activate the automatic gates to open for heavy trucks with loads not exceeding the 30-tonne weight limit for the bridge.
The project, being financed by the government, is scheduled to commence in March 2010 and is expected to be completed in September 2010.
The Deputy Minister of Roads and Highways, Mr Rojo Mettle-Nunoo, made this known when he inspected the bridge at Atimpoku last Friday.
During the visit, vehicles were checked to ensure that their loads did not exceed the weight limit.
Five extremely overloaded trucks were impounded.
The deputy minister was accompanied by some officials of the GHA, including the Deputy Chief Executive in charge of Administration, Mr Peter Dagadu, and Mr Norbert Quamor, the Public Relations Officer.
As part of safety measures to protect and prolong the lifespan of the 54-year-old bridge, Mr Mettle-Nunoo said the GHA would also erect two axle weighing equipment at the Kpong and the Asikuma junctions to check the weight of trucks before they could proceed all the way to the Atimpoku and the Juapong ends of the bridge.
He said another toll booth would be introduced at the Juapong end of the bridge to prevent vehicles from that end of the bridge from waiting for too long to pay their tolls, since such delays could exert pressure on the bridge.
He said trucks with excessive loads would have to use alternative roads such as the Juapong-Adidome, the Ho-Adidome and the Sogakokpe roads.
The deputy minister later inspected the 60-km Juapong-Adidome road, which is yet to be awarded on contract, to serve as an alternative road for trucks with excessive loads.
He noted that since the Adomi Bridge was one of the treasured national assets, every effort must be made to ensure its safety in order to prolong its life-span.
According to him, the failure of motorists to comply with the safety measures to be instituted could lead to the destruction of the bridge, a situation that could necessitate its replacement, expected to cost the nation about $500 million.
He indicated that while the bridge was constructed with a weight limit of 20 tonnes at a time when the volume of traffic was low, “today the volume of traffic has brought so much distress to the bridge because it is the only option to cross from the eastern to the central corridors of the nation”.
He, therefore, appealed to drivers of heavy duty trucks with loads exceeding the permissible 30 tonnes to desist from using the bridge and rather use the available alternative routes.
He also solicited the co-operation and support of the media, members of the public and the security agencies to preserve the bridge. For his part, Mr Dagadu gave the assurance that the GHA would ensure the speedy construction of the various alternative roads for vehicles with excess loads.
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