Some residents in Koforidua Adewso SSNIT have expressed their disappointment with the government, and the authorities of the New Juaben Municipal Assembly and the Department of Urban Roads in what they say is the complete disregard of the plight of residents in the municipality.
The over 4,000 residents who reside in the Adweso SSNIT flats are living in fear over the imminent collapse of a major bridge linking the low-cost housing to the SSNIT flats.
The bridge, which developed deep cracks six months ago, has further been eroded by floods from recent rains.
This situation has left forced them to resort to alternate roads which are also in deplorable conditions.
When Citi News visited the area, both sides of the bridge had been deeply eroded with a deep cut in the middle of the road leaving just a small portion for pedestrians to use.
It was evidently clear that most drivers have abandoned their stretch of road as no vehicle was seen on the once busy road as at the time Citi News visited the place.
Kwaku Atemo, a carpenter who has his shop 70 meters close to the bridge in an interview with Citi News disclosed how car owners and residents have abandoned the route.
“This place used to be very busy all the time because it links low-cost to SSNIT but because of the state of the bridge most residents for the fear of their lives do not come through this place again. This big hole you are seeing now started very small but now look at how deep it has become, the assembly man has been several times but nothing has been done about it.”
Atiemo added that “you know this place is very close to the main junction and residents who plied this route normally come around to buy furniture, beds and other wardrobes I have displayed here, some also brings me orders for kitchen cabinets and others but they no longer come around because of the state of the bridge.”
Bernard Nii Okai, an angry resident questioned why they must pay taxes saying, “my wife and kids are here and sometimes I have to pack my car here and walk on foot to cross to the other side to see my family because am scared the bridge will cave in when I use it. I am a bit fortunate because the house is about 200 meters from the bridge so I don’t walk far but my worry is that there are a number of schools up there in the flats and a hundred of school kids trek to school using this particular road. In this country we want the worse to happen before we act, I sometimes ask myself why we even pay tax in this country.”
This situation is not peculiar to only Adweso SSNIT residents but other areas in the New Juaben Municipality also have similar difficult as a bridge at Apenkwa Koforidua poly has also caved in and several roads in the municipality are all in deplorable conditions.
Meanwhile, schools in the area are all on vacation and until the bridge is reconstructed the lives of over thousands of residents and school kids who use the Low-cost Ssnit bridge close to the Assemblies of God Church will be in danger. Areas like Mangazime, Abogri, Two Streams, Simpoa Miensa, Nyamekrom, Kasadjan, Pipeline, Ada, Poly Apenkwa are all in deplorable states.
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By: Neil Nii Amatey Kanarku/citifmonline.com/Ghana