Ban on heavy-duty trucks at Doli Bridge affecting shippers

The ban on haulage and heavy-duty trucks using the Doli bridge at Bole township is affecting business activities within the Bole district of Savannah Region, while much cost has been placed on shippers who ply the diverted routes.

The heavy-duty truck driver has to incur a lot of maintenance cost, since the location of vehicles, mechanics and spare-parts is found in the Bole township.

It has also led to increase cost of goods and services, because the costs incurred are spread over the goods transported from Techiman through Fufulso-Damongo to Sawla.

The truck drivers who used to pass through Bole to Sawla were banned due to collapse of the bridge – resulting from a heavy downpour that lasted for about four hours on Sunday, September 17, 2023 and swept away the bridge at Doli in Bole; making the main road linking Upper West Region to the south inaccessible.

The collapse has also cut off road transportation for hundreds of heavy trucks using the main highway that goes from Ghana to Burkina Faso and Mali.

This has also forced the security services to deploy personnel at vantage points to curb any crime surge that might occur; while the heavy-duty truck drivers have been left to sleep in the open at the mercy of the weather, when previously they could park their vehicles at a nearby filling station and rest at a guest-house.

The situation, according to some stakeholders – including security personnel, traditional authorities and residents among others – is not good; and therefore, something must be done about it.

It has also placed extra responsibility on the Ghana Revenue Authority’s (GRA) Customs Division, as they have had to embark on route checks at the new roads to ensure goods are transited to the nearby countries and not stolen or tampered with.

During a two-day recent visit to Bole township, Sawla-Tuna-Kalba and surrounding communities, it was observed that the roundabout at Sawla was destroyed by the heavy-duty trucks, while much burden was also placed on the haulage and heavy-duty trucks that had to use much fuel consumption to climb the hills.

At Bole, the B&FT staff found that some iron rods and culverts have been placed around the Doli Bridge, with some stones used to fill the bridge as a temporary measure that could be washed away when another heavy downpour occurs.

The Tamale Branch Manager-Ghana Shippers Authority, Mr. Fredrick Atogiyire, expressed worry about the rate at which residents of Bole saw their few economic activities taken away.

“It is very worrying to see haulage and heavy-duty truck drivers go through a hectic period in taking goods from Tema Harbour to the nearby countries,” he said.

According to him, the long distance has been draining the resources of truck drivers, who have to travel to nearby towns for service when their vehicle develops a fault.

If the bridge is not fixed on time, the possibility of shippers and truck drivers diverting their routes to other countries is high – which could affect economic activities, he added.

Some truck drivers expressed worry about the delay in fixing the bridge, and therefore appealed for government through the Road Ministry to fast-track documentation processes to ensure speedy reconstruction of the bridge to ease the stress heavy-duty trucks have been encountering.

Meanwhile, District Chief Executive for Bole, Madam Veronica Alele, noted in an interview that the Assembly is in touch with the Urban Roads department to fast-track paper documentation and then award contracts for work to start.

Some artisans in Bole Township also expressed worry that the road’s diversion is affecting their economic activities and livelihoods.

In an interview with the B&FT, Mr. Abdul-Rasheed Braimah, National Vice Chairman-Ghana Haulage and Heavy-Duty Truck Association, pleaded with government to help get the bridge fixed in time so shippers and truck drivers can save time and money.

“All our investment is going to maintenance – because we had to travel far to buy spare-parts, get burst tyres fixed and even spend extra money taking mechanics to the truck’s location for them to work on it; but previously, it was easier to get them in Bole town,” he said.

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