The Buipe and Yapei bridges in the Northern Region are expected to be open to traffic from Friday, December 22, 2017.
The Ghana Highways Authority (GHA) on Wednesday, November 22, 2017, closed down the dilapidated bridges, which posed serious risks to motorists and pedestrians.
Engineers were assigned to complete repair works within four weeks at an estimated cost of GHC 4 million.
The shutdown of the bridges caused several commuters to be stranded for some days after which they had to resort to longer alternative routes in getting to their destinations, north of the country.
According to management of the Ghana Highway Authority and the sector ministry, the closure was necessary to avert any national disaster and its rippling effect should the bridges collapse.
Meanwhile, the Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwesi Amoaka Atta briefing parliament last month revealed that the service life of the bridges cannot be extended by any level of repair works, and the available option is a project to construct bridges, expected to be completed in two years.
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He explained that the project includes detailed engineering design and construction of two bridges at Buipe and Yapei, each of a length of approximately 230 metres, detailed engineering design and construction of one bridge at Daboya of length approximately 250 metres, detailed engineering design and construction of approach roads to the bridges and installation of facilities such as toll plazas and street lights.
The Minister said a two-stage procurement method has been adopted for the construction of new bridges to replace existing ones and arrangements are already underway by the Government of Ghana in that regard.
 The Buipe and the Yapei bridges serve important purposes for the nation as it links the north to the south of Ghana and also serves as an international road for neighbouring Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Côte D’ Ivoire to Ghana.
Read also:  Yapei, Buipe bridges closed to avert disaster - Minister tells MPs
 Parliament summons Minister of Roads and Highways
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