Death Trap at Kpeshie bridge
Gilbert Boyefio
25/01/2007
The Kpeshie bridge which leads to the Kofi Annan International Peace Keeping Centre appears to be of no priority to the authorities.
Personnel of the Accra Metropolitan Urban Roads and the Department of Urban Roads are in a fix as to whose responsibility it is to repair a portion of the concrete rails around the bridge.
The street lights on that stretch of road have been out of use for almost 10 years making the broken bridge a looming death trap for commuters who ply the route, especially, at night.
Officials of the Accra Metro Urban Roads Office told The Statesman that the said damage is not their responsibility because the Kpeshie bridge project is still under contract from the Department of Urban Roads, to a company they could not identify.
An official who refused to be identified said the project has not been handed over to them and therefore cannot do any maintenance work on it.
This claim, however sharply contradicts I K Mensah, Deputy Director of the Department of Urban Roads assertion that the contractor has finished its work and handed over the job and therefore it is no more their duty to maintain it.
He noted that the concrete rails were broken by a vehicle after the contractor has had handed it over, making it the responsibility of AMA to repair it.
"This is not a defect liability period where it is the duty of the contractor to repair the damage,? said Mr Mensah.
As both authorities continue to dance around the issue, there are indications that even if one of them should accept responsibility, the repairs will not be done any time in the near future. Both authorities claimed to be tied down with other pressing issues which have to be addressed urgently.
25/01/2007
The Kpeshie bridge which leads to the Kofi Annan International Peace Keeping Centre appears to be of no priority to the authorities.
Personnel of the Accra Metropolitan Urban Roads and the Department of Urban Roads are in a fix as to whose responsibility it is to repair a portion of the concrete rails around the bridge.
The street lights on that stretch of road have been out of use for almost 10 years making the broken bridge a looming death trap for commuters who ply the route, especially, at night.
Officials of the Accra Metro Urban Roads Office told The Statesman that the said damage is not their responsibility because the Kpeshie bridge project is still under contract from the Department of Urban Roads, to a company they could not identify.
An official who refused to be identified said the project has not been handed over to them and therefore cannot do any maintenance work on it.
This claim, however sharply contradicts I K Mensah, Deputy Director of the Department of Urban Roads assertion that the contractor has finished its work and handed over the job and therefore it is no more their duty to maintain it.
He noted that the concrete rails were broken by a vehicle after the contractor has had handed it over, making it the responsibility of AMA to repair it.
"This is not a defect liability period where it is the duty of the contractor to repair the damage,? said Mr Mensah.
As both authorities continue to dance around the issue, there are indications that even if one of them should accept responsibility, the repairs will not be done any time in the near future. Both authorities claimed to be tied down with other pressing issues which have to be addressed urgently.
Comments
Post a Comment