Accra, Sept 28, GNA - Residents in and around Santa Maria and Sowutuom in the Ga District have been asked to exercise patience while work on the bridge being reconstructed on the Santa Maria-Sowutoum-Ofonkor road progresses.

The Project Overseer, Mr Alex Anya of the Lesquimese Limited, the firm undertaking the works, told the GNA on Tuesday that the actual work would be completed in two weeks and the bridge would be ready for use after 27 days.

The reconstruction of that bridge, termed as the "Lafa Stream Box Culvert" which started almost five weeks ago has created a lot of inconveniences for residents in the area as the detours or diversions are in a bad state.

The few commercial drivers plying those diversions at the peril of their vehicles have resorted to increasing the original fares as high as by 100 per cent which passengers have no options but to pay. Other drivers were also taking more than the prescribed number of passengers.

A young man, Isaac Allotey was last Thursday evening attacked and nearly lynched by thugs at Santa Maria when he was returning from work after waiting for a long period without a vehicle and had to walk from Kwashieman to Sowutoum around 2300 hours.

During a tour of the project by Officials of the Urban Roads Department of the Ministry of Roads and Transport, the Amasaman District Roads Engineer, Mr Benjamin Sowah commended the contractor for working within schedule saying: "You have really done well with how far you have reached with the project."

He appealed to the contractor to speed up for the early completion of the project because even though that particular project was not under the Department's jurisdiction, anxious residents continued to throng their offices for an explanation why the work was delaying.