Work has commenced on the construction of the Dome Crossing bridge after several calls from residents for a proper drainage system due to the perennial flooding in the community.
This comes in months after GhanaWeb reported on the looming danger on the stretch. Residents and business operators have for years been calling for a face-lift on the bridge to enable the free flow of the water in the drains.
Work had already begun when our Team visited the site at about 8:00 am on Thursday. There has been a diversion on the road with the unset of the reconstruction which began on Monday, February 3, 2020.
While the completion of the project is expected to bring long term relief to residents, the ongoing works have for the time being created inconvenience for motorists and pedestrians who ply the route.
There is heavy vehicular traffic in the mornings, as persons coming from the St. Johns road have to go through CFC to join the Taifa route before ending up at Dome Crossing.
The project which is being constructed by Sadalco Limited is expected to be completed by the end of March 2020. Speaking to the Municipal NADMO Director of Ga-East, Seth Osei Kissi, he was confident that the bridge will be constructed within the given period.
‘It is not a job that they are going to start and pack-off. It is a project and a target for our MP. This is not the only major drain or project that is being done in the Municipality, we have about 78 percent of our roads being constructed, almost all our drains are being done,” Mr. Seth Osei Kissi said.
The Dome community has numerous reported cases of flooding which have destroyed several items and properties. The perennial situation has also taken a toll on business in the community, most especially on drivers at the taxi rank which is located right beside the bridge.
Some residents who spoke to GhanaWeb TV were visibly happy with the ongoing construction on the bridge, adding that it was long overdue.
“This bridge has destroyed our business and properties; we finally have a President who has listened to our cry. Now the construction is ongoing, we thank the Member of Parliament and the District Chief Executive,” an elated resident said.
“It is good that work has begun, the drainage had created lots of inconvenience for us. The situation was worse when it rains, we are happy with the unset of the construction”.
“They should speed up with construction to allow free flow on the stretch. The construction has created some inconvenience for us”.
Until the construction, residents have been threatening to vote out the Member of Parliament for Dome-Kwabenya constituency, Adwoa Sarfo, if nothing was done about the poor drainage system.
In a report by GhanaWeb in November 2019, some residents confirmed that they had received several promises from the government on the reconstruction of the bridge but nothing had been done about it. Here is what they said,
“We cannot sell our food when it rains, we carry our foods back home. Authorities have visited us on several occasions, they only talk but have failed to construct a proper drainage system”.
“I have lost several customers; we are always driven away by the floods. The President should come to our rescue, we beg of him”.
