Closure of Kaneshie footbridge forces traders, commuters to risk crossing highway

The prolonged closure of the Kaneshie footbridge has compelled traders, commuters and schoolchildren to risk crossing the busy highway daily, raising fears over pedestrian safety in the area.

Road users, although crossing under police supervision, say the prolonged closure has turned the stretch into a death trap, forcing schoolchildren, market women, travellers and workers to weave through heavy traffic daily.

A visit by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) to the area revealed that no visible construction work was ongoing, while the bridge remained barricaded, with visible cracks and damaged concrete pavement.

Maame Monica Serwaa, a trader whose business had been affected by the closure, told the GNA that crossing the road had become dangerous, especially in the evenings when streetlights near the bridge were not functioning.

She said police officers were mostly seen directing vehicular and pedestrian movement from morning to late afternoon but were often absent during the evenings and nights.

“Five days ago, an elderly woman missed her step while crossing. She fell and injured her face, and we had to care for her. A 70-year-old woman also went through a similar ordeal,” Maame Serwaa said.

She said about a month ago, a motor rider knocked down a woman, and police intervention led to the rider transporting the victim to hospital.

She urged authorities to expedite action before lives and property were lost.

Naa Ayorkor Otu-Anang, who sold sandals on the footbridge before its closure, said the bridge was shut during the Easter festivities after the Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr Michael Kpakpo Allotey, announced plans to undertake repair works.

She said she now operated her business on the roadside, about 40 metres away from the barricaded bridge, exposing traders to danger from speeding vehicles.

When reminded that the footbridge was not designated for trading activities, she said she had no alternative but to sell there to sustain her livelihood.

“…Our businesses are suffering and we do not have any option. The casualties from crossing the road are mostly the aged. They fall whenever they rush to cross, and the vehicles, especially motorbikes, do not exercise patience,” she said.

Miss Veronica Efe Twumasi, a commuter, said she previously avoided using the footbridge because traders often occupied the walkway and obstructed movement.

She noted that she had no qualms about the closure, especially as the police were assisting pedestrians to cross.

Esther Nyarkoa Aboronuma, a fruit seller, said the closure was necessary because she often felt vibrations whenever she used the bridge.

She added that no engineers, construction materials or workers had been sighted at the site since the closure.

“Crossing the road is not ideal. Lives lost cannot be replaced and so we are pleading with the government to urgently undertake the repair works by the end of August or September,” she appealed.

GNA