Atimpoku bounces back:With trading activities following reopening of Adomi Bridge

Atimpoku in the Eastern Region has come alive with business activities, three days after the reopening of the Adomi Bridge to the travelling public.

The people think it is the best Christmas gift from the government and have expressed appreciation to the President for the intervention to rehabilitate the bridge constructed in 1957.

The Adomi Bridge, the second longest bridge after the Lower Volta Bridge at Sogakope, is one of the most famous and treasured edifices in Ghana. It links the south-eastern part of the country to the Volta and the Northern regions.

In March 2014 when the bridge was closed to the travelling public for rehabilitation works to begin, almost all the businesses that took place there were either relocated to Senchi or Kpong.

Since its reopening on December 19, 2015, the bridge has become a tourist attraction, as some people have a feel of the bridge by actually walking on it, while instant photographers are on hand for memorable p

Drivers

But if there is any group of people who are happy for the reopening of the bridge, then it is drivers. Apart from the absence of traffic, road tolls are comparatively lower, in contrast to the rates on the ferry at Senchi.

For example, saloon cars pay 50Gp, while Urvan and LT buses, Rhinos and KIA trucks pay between GHc1 and GHc2.50.

When the bridge was closed to traffic, vehicles paid between GHc10 and GHc60 to cross the Volta River using the pontoon at Senchi. Aside from the tolls, drivers spent hours on end waiting for the pontoon to cross.

For Kobla George, a commercial driver, there is nothing more exciting than the reopening of the bridge, which has reduced the stress of having to wait for hours to cross the river using the pontoon.

“For me, this is the best Christmas gift from the President, not only to drivers plying this road but also the entire people of the Volta Region and those from Asuogyaman and beyond,” he said.

Brisk business

The bus stops before and after the bridge, especially the one before the bridge at Atimpoku, are full of activities, as petty traders, mostly young and elderly ladies, outclass one another to first reach vehicles stopping over at the bus stops.

They chase vehicles to either sell ‘abolo’, ‘one man thousand’ shrimps, iced water or bread, while electronic stores and drinking bars are alive with music to attract potential customers.

Store owners near the bridge at Atimpoku are happy that the bridge has been reopened and are convinced that business will peak again.

Impression of people

A dealer in electronics, Mr Bismark Agyemang, said when the bridge was closed to the travelling public, business was difficult, a situation which forced most people to relocate their businesses either to Senchi, where the pontoon was operating, Kpong, the nearest busy town.

“During that period, this place was almost a ghost town. Everybody deserted here,” he recalled, adding that the only people who were there were mostly the workers at the bridge and the few indigenes.

Auntie Mansa, who sells ‘abolo’, complained that her son had to drop out of polytechnic because of the closure of the bridge, which affected her business.

She said even though the bridge had been reopened, a lot more ‘abolo’ sellers had invaded the town, rendering the sale of the item unattractive.

She blamed the huge number of energetic young girls in the business as a contributory factor.

A toll booth attendant who gave her name only as Florence said even though the bridge had been reopened, some people were not yet aware of it and believed that by next week traffic flow would increase.

She said the reopening of the bridge came as a relief to travellers on the road, recalling that she had to sleep overnight at Senchi because the vehicle she joined could not be loaded onto the pontoon.

Another booth attendant, Doreen, said the fanfare and jubilation that greeted the reopening of the bridge was as though they had found a lost precious item.

She said she was particularly happy with the reopening because it had eased the frustration and pain both drivers and passengers went through during the period of closure, adding that it would make travelling to and from the Volta Region easier.