An avoidable tragedy is looming at Nungua, a suburb of Accra, over the persistent use of two broken down footbridges that link two major sections of the town. The bridges, all situated over the Blekese stream which main course lies across the Tema-Nungua Beach Road, about 400m from the Nungua Police Barrier, are all in a sorry state with sections of the bridge detached from the main edifice and hanging while the remaining portions show visibly wide cracks, threatening to cave in at the least touch. Recalcitrant pedestrians including school children nonetheless are still defying the imminent danger and continue to use the bridges which are all in a precarious situation. In their current state, both edifices can break down completely at any time which may lead to loss of lives. The two bridges began to give in about six weeks ago as the rains intensified and eroded the sides of the drain making the bridges weaker with each subsequent downpour. Reliable sources have it that the bridges were constructed about thirteen years ago when portions of the stream turned storm drain were dredged to prevent the perennial flooding that affected people who lived close to the stream. When contacted, Assembly Member for Mukwedzor Electoral Area in whose jurisdiction the two dilapidated bridges are located, Hon. Richard Nmai, revealed that he had brought the situation to the attention of the Ledzokuku Krowor Municipal Assembly (LEKMA). He added that the Assembly was considering plans to restore the bridges in the shortest possible time. He also enumerated a number of temporary measures he had put in place to prevent further usage of the bridges so as to forestall any danger, but all of which have fallen on deaf ears. He therefore lamented the stubbornness of residents for not paying heed to the warning. A tour of the two sites revealed that one of the bridges had previously been barricaded with red bands all of which have been torn by the residents. Chief Works Engineer of LEKMA, Mr. Stephen Kingsley Nketia, in an interview with US News confirmed that the situation had come to his notice but he asserted that it was very unlikely that the bridges would be reconstructed this year since they had not been budgeted for in the 2012 fiscal year. He however added that the due to the precarious nature of the situation, the Executive Committee of the Assembly was going to discuss it for a possible referral to the General Assembly where a final decision would be taken. Ing. Nketia however did not rule out a possible demolition of the bridges ahead of any immediate plans of reconstruction so as to prevent further usage that might result in a disaster. Regular visits to the two bridges showed people busily trying to cross the bridges in the face of the glaring danger. Some residents who were seen struggling to cross the bridge confirmed that they were aware of the danger but lamented the bother in having to go over such long distances (about 300m) if they were to avoid using the bridge by making a detour to the main road in order to cross the stream. Borketey Samuel, a mechanic when quizzed said “Boss, how do you expect us to go all the way to the roadside to cross the stream just to come back to a place that is so close. If you muster a little courage, you can cross this one like that and be free. Anyway, we are praying that they do not kill anybody the day they finally break down”. Hon. Nmai is therefore appealing to well meaning citizens and residents, corporate entities and philanthropists to come to the aid of the area by assisting to reconstruct the bridges to prevent any calamity.