A NUMBER of rural communities in 10 municipalities and districts in the Eastern Region which are either surrounded or divided by rivers are to be linked with 18 steel bridges.
The provision of the bridges is to facilitate the movement of the people and haulage of agricultural produce.
The bridges, which will be between 20 and 35 metres across rivers, will be financed by the government with support from the governments of The Netherlands, the United States of America and Spain.
The Spanish government will provide five bridges, estimated at GH¢3,017,227, in farming communities in the East Akyem Municipality, Birim South and the Upper Manya districts.
The American government will construct the bridges in farming and fishing communities in the Atiwa, Yilo Krobo, Fanteakwa and the Asuogyaman districts at a total cost of GH¢2,991,955.
Even though work on the Spanish and the American-financed bridges are yet to be awarded on contract, the projects are expected to be completed in 2012.
However, work on the Dutch-financed bridges, estimated at GH¢3,114,721, is ongoing in the East Akyem and West Akyem municipalities and Kwahu South, Kwahu West, Yilo Krobo and the Upper Manya Krobo districts.
The Eastern Regional Manager of the Department of Feeder Roads, Mr David Brobbey, made this known to the Daily Graphic at Effiduase, near Koforidua.
He made these statements when he took the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, round to inspect the delivery of various steel components of the bridges on the premises of the Department of Feeder Roads in Koforidua.
That was after Mr Ofosu Ampofo had paid a working visit to interact with the management and workers of the Ghana Highway Authority, the Department of Feeder Roads and the Urban Roads Department in Koforidua to acquaint himself with the challenges facing the three institutions and their workers.
He said when completed, the bridges were expected to provide easy access to remote farming and fishing communities where the people currently used canoes to ferry women in labour and the sick across rivers before boarding vehicles to nearby hospitals.
Besides, Mr Brobbey said, the bridges would also bring a lot of relief to the people, especially schoolchildren who travelled by canoes daily to attend school in the other communities.
“Upon completion, people in communities close to rivers and other water bodies will no longer have to use canoes to cross bridges, sometimes getting drowned in the process,” Mr Brobbey stated.
According to him, currently the most convenient means of transport for the people living in the farming and fishing communities surrounded and divided by rivers was the use of canoes to reach other communities.
“There are times when many of these communities are cut off completely from other communities, especially during heavy rainy seasons when the level of the rivers rise, making it impossible for them to either cross or cart their farm produce to marketing centres,” he stated.
He added: “When this happens, schoolchildren cannot go to school and those who dare sometimes get drowned in the process.”
Mr Ofosu Ampofo said about 30 per cent of foodstuffs produced in the country were lost through post-harvest loses caused by lack of access roads in most of the rural communities.
He, therefore, expressed optimism that the construction of the bridges would ease the burden poor farmers went through to cart their farm produce to the market centres on time to enable them to earn decent incomes.
The regional minister tasked the management of the Department of Feeder Roads to put in place measures to ensure effective supervision of the projects and their early completion.
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