West Hills Mall bridge safe - says project manager
The newly-constructed bridge leading to the West Hills Mall at Dunkonah, near Weija in Accra does not pose a danger to users of the facility, the project manager of the company that built the bridge, Mr Yaw Osafo Marfo Jnr, has assured.
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He explained that the cracks or the break backs on the pillars were as a result of vibrations and chiseling carried out on the pillars and assured that those were normal technical engineering works.
Mr Marfo gave the explantation when the Minister of Roads and Highways, Alhaji Inusah Fuseini, inspected the bridge following fears expressed by the public that the facility was not safe for use.
The minister, who was accompanied by the Chief Executive of the Ghana Highway Authority, Mr Michael Abbey, and some technical officials of the ministry, was conducted round by Mr Marfo.
Basis for fears
The fears emanate from the fact that there are cracks on the upper part of some of the pillars, which the public had judged to be structural defects. In addition, there were some black stains on the pillars, which the public believed were signs that the pillars were not strong enough to sustain the decking.
The concrete on the upper part of one of the pillars had also fallen off, exposing the naked iron rods used in constructing the overpass.
Assurance
Mr Marfo gave an assurance that in constructing the bridge, the company considered the safety of users as paramount. He explained that what was showing at the upper parts of the pillars were not cracks, but ongoing works and that the facility was yet to be handed over.
He further assured the public that “by the end of the month, all these will be addressed,” adding that due diligence was taken in the design and construction and there was nothing that was life-threatening as had been speculated by the public.
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No compromise
A dicretor of Delico Property Development Limited, owners of the mall, Mr Isaac Kyei-Mensah, said it seemed a panic button had been pressed, which he said was uncalled for, “because this is for us and we will make sure it’s for us and we are going to use it for a long time.
“We don’t compromise in whatever we do,” he said and expressed the hope that the explanation would assuage the fears of Ghanaians, “because there is no cause for alarm.”
Reaction by minister
Alhaji Inusah explained that the ministry had received complaints of structural defects of the facility and that was why he, together with the technocrats of the ministry, made the impromptu visit to see things for themselves.
He said there was nothing wrong and that the integrity of the bridge was solid and that nothing had been compromised.
“So,I am using this medium to assure all Ghanaians and potential road users of this facility that their safety and security have been paramount in the construction of the bridge and we will continue to monitor the situation and ensure that we don’t compromise the safety and security of pedestrians and other road users,” he said.
Alhaji Inusah gave the assurance that the government would not short-change Ghanaians, explaining that the design for the bridge was approved by the Ghana Highway Authority, and that a team was put together to monitor the work on the bridge.
Writer’s Email:severious.dery@graphic.com.gh