Bridge closure fuels business activities

Atimpoku, (E/R), July 16, GNA-The closure of the Adomi Bridge at Atimpoku has sparked off brisk business on either side of the bridge contrary to initial fears of likely loss of business to both traders and drivers. Porters, unknown at Atimpoku are all of a sudden having a field day with young men women carrying goods and luggage across the bridge for a fee. These porters could be seen ferrying goods and sick passengers in wheelbarrows across the bridge.

The hustling and jostling across the bridge by the porters would be the envy of their counterparts in the Accra Central Business area. When the GNA interacted with some of the porters to find out their reaction to the situation, one of them shouted, "Business is good" and quickly

dashed away for a customer. The other porter, who thought the GNA reporters were customers

shouted, "one load is 3,000" (30 Ghana pesewas).

Before the bridge was closed at around 1100 hours, Urvan buses had parked at both the Atimpoku and Akwamufie ends of the bridge waiting for passengers who would be offloaded at either end. The situation also presented a more reliable business opportunity to a

fisherman who was ferrying curious travellers under the bridge to see the damage for a fee of 50 Ghana pesewas per passenger per trip as he assured them of their safety. Food sellers who normally operated at the Atimpoku end have also

spilled over to the "new" lorry station on the Akwamufie end of the bridge.

Before the bridge was closed, business on both sides was very slow but picked up all of a sudden after 1100 hours as passengers travelling from both ends

got off their vehicles to cross over.

"We have lost our business, don't you see that we are not running after the vehicles as we used to do", a middle-aged woman, who gave her name as

Francisca told the GNA at Atimpoku.

"Now we do not have money to buy food after waiting here all day and soon we have to pay school fees", she said. A driver also told the GNA that his wage, based on ten percent of his

monthly sales of 800 Ghana cedis was going to be affected. "My brother we drivers are going to suffer". Some passengers also complained of being cheated by the drivers who

charged the normal fares but off-load them at either end of the bridge and refused to

give them the balance for the rest of the journey.