A trailer struck the pedestrian bridge in early February. The government said the driver would pay for repairs. The bridge remains untouched.
On the first week of February 2026, a trailer truck rammed into the North Dzorwulu pedestrian footbridge in Accra. The impact shifted the bridge from its pillars. Cracks appeared. Fittings were damaged.
Pedestrians who use the bridge to cross the busy highway have been worried since that day. Some have stopped using it entirely, fearing it could collapse.
On Monday, February 16, 2026, the Ministry of Roads and Highways announced that the trailer driver had been arrested.
The head of the ministry’s public relations unit, Nasir Ahmed Yartey, told Citi TV that the driver would pay the full cost of repairs. The estimated cost was GH¢2.5 million.
Yartey said the Ghana Highway Authority’s Bridge Maintenance Unit had inspected the bridge. The assessment showed huge structural damage from the impact.
He added that repairs would take about six days once work began.
Nearly two months since the crash, today, (Tuesday, April 14, 2026), the condition of the footbridge remains unchanged, basically no repair work has started.
Pedestrians are still using the damaged bridge. Each day they cross, they take a risk.
That question remains unanswered. The government said in February that the driver was in police custody and would fund the repairs. But since then, no public update has come from the ministry.
It is not clear whether the driver has paid any money. It is not clear whether the driver is still in custody. It is not clear when repairs will begin.
Similar Incidents: A Pattern of Neglect
The North Dzorwulu footbridge is not an isolated case. Across Ghana, damaged bridges and footbridges have been left unattended for years, sometimes with deadly consequences.
The Kotokuom Bridge (Ashanti Region)
The bridge at Kotokuom, built in 1957, had never seen a single repair or maintenance work for decades. By early 2025, nearly two-thirds of the bridge had become a death trap .
Thirteen cocoa-growing communities depended on this bridge to transport their produce to Kumasi. Heavy-duty cocoa trucks were officially banned from using the bridge due to its dangerous condition. Farmers were forced to offload their produce onto another truck across the bridge, creating costly delays .
A local elder told reporters that politicians had continuously exploited the community’s plight for votes, making empty promises every election season only to disappear once they assumed office. “We have been crying for help for years, but nothing is done,” one resident said .
The bridge had only a weak sign warning of the danger ahead. Taxi drivers and motorists continued to risk their lives crossing it .
Update on Kotokuom: Following media reports and public outcry, the Roads Minister Kwame Governs Agbodza inspected the bridge in March 2025 and declared it unmotorable. The bridge was closed, and a contractor was expected on site to begin reconstruction within three months . Whether that deadline was met remains unclear.
The Kpeshie Bridge (La)
In La, the Kpeshie Bridge was on the verge of collapse four years ago. It was temporarily reinforced with metallic plates to allow heavy trucks to pass. But the road project was abandoned barely a year later .
As of August 2025, the metallic plates were deteriorating rapidly. Corrosion, holes, and dents on the bridge caused serious safety concerns for drivers. There were no traffic lights. The damage contributed to heavy traffic congestion .
Residents, especially older women, complained of physical toll. “This is not good for us after selling the whole day. We suffer too much on this road,” one trader said. Drivers expressed frustration: “We do not understand why we have to beg before the right thing is done” .
The Achimota Overhead Bridge
The newer Achimota overhead bridge, completed to ease congestion along the Accra–Nsawam highway, has also shown signs of neglect. Poor lighting, blocked drainage, fading road markings, and weak protective barriers have raised safety concerns .
In January 2025, a loaded truck crashed into the side of the bridge, overturning the vehicle. Fortunately, there were no fatalities, but the incident left many shaken .
The National Road Safety Authority reported at least 12 road-related incidents near the Achimota-Tesano corridor between February and June 2025, many linked to poor road conditions and visibility on the bridge .
What Other Countries Do
Other nations have faced similar problems of vehicles damaging public infrastructure. Their approaches offer lessons for Ghana.
Germany: Legal Recourse Systems
In Germany, statutory accident insurance institutions have the right to claim compensation for benefits provided from injuring parties or their insurers through a legal process called “right of recourse.” When a driver damages public infrastructure, the responsible government body can recover the full cost of repairs from the driver or their insurance company .
However, Germany faces challenges similar to Ghana’s when damage occurs abroad. Different countries have different compensation laws, low maximum damages, and short time limits for filing claims. The German statutory accident insurance system collects information on foreign compensation laws to help enforce claims across borders .
United Kingdom: Package Holiday Regulations
In the UK, if an accident happens while a person is travelling as part of a package holiday, the tour operator can be held responsible. The Package Travel Regulations allow claims to be filed in UK courts even when the accident occurred in another country .
For independently arranged travel, claims are governed by the law of the country where the accident happened. However, UK law firms manage these claims from London using networks of local lawyers in other jurisdictions .
Key Lessons for Ghana
From these international examples, several practical approaches emerge:
1. Strong legal framework for cost recovery: Ghana already has the Road Traffic Regulations (L.I. 2180) setting maximum vehicle heights at 4.5 metres . But enforcement is weak. A clearer legal process for recovering repair costs from offending drivers, including provisions for seizing assets or garnishing wages, could make the threat of payment more real.
2. Insurance requirements for heavy vehicles: Many countries require commercial drivers to carry bonds or higher insurance coverage specifically to cover damage to public infrastructure. Ghana could consider mandating that trailer and heavy truck operators carry insurance policies that explicitly cover bridge and road damage.
3. Timely repairs funded upfront: Instead of waiting for a driver to pay, the government could repair damaged infrastructure immediately using public funds, then pursue the driver for reimbursement through the courts. This keeps citizens safe while the legal process runs.
4. Regular inspections and maintenance: The Kotokuom bridge deteriorated for eight years before action was taken . Regular inspections of major bridges and footbridges, with public reports on their condition, would prevent small problems from becoming dangerous ones.
5. Accountability for repeated incidents: The Achimota bridge was hit by a truck in January 2025, just months before the North Dzorwulu incident . This suggests a pattern of oversize vehicles using routes with low bridges. Installing height warning systems and enforcement cameras at known problem locations could prevent crashes before they happen.
