By Arfang M.S. Camara, Communication Officer, NRA
The Deputy Managing Director of the National Roads Authority (NRA), Mr Sulayman Sumareh Janneh, accompanied by one of his Principal Engineers, Mr Omar Saidykhan, on Thursday, 23rd January 2025, visited the Denton Bridge in Banjul to see for himself the issues causing discomfort to people while driving on the bridge.
The visit was made following complaints from concerned Gambians who experienced discomfort (noise) on the expansion joints on the bridge while driving along it.
NRA’s deputy boss, Sulayman SumarehJanneh, after his visit and observation, said that people’s concern that the bridge may be failing is far from what’s happening right now.
“The only issue that we observed is that the control joints of the bridge which have rubber coverings on top to allow the bridge to have some designed structural breathing movement, appear to be deteriorating.” He said, in some cases, the bolts that held them in place fell off and caused the rubber mats to shift a little bit, thereby creating a rattling noise when drivers drive on it.”
He added that it is a minor non structuralrepair issue that the NRA will be embarking on, noting that hopefully if there are any materials needing to be ordered, the Authority will get them ordered in and have the repairsdone quickly.
According to him, there are no serious safety concerns or issues to be raised at this point, noting that these are minor issues which are expected over time and will be remediedquickly and everything else should go back to normal.
ASP Kebba Ceesay, Station Officer, Denton Bridge, said they are so concerned about not only the noise while driving on the left-hand side lane while coming from Banjul but also the broken rubber on the expansion joints.
According to him, as a result, they don’t normally want the bridge to carry heavy loads, which is why he said they normally open the barrier during rush hours in the morning and afternoon when people are going and closing from work.
Another concerned Gambian, SIS personnel stationed at the Denton Bridge said they are very worried about the issue due to the heavy loads that usually pass through the bridge daily.
“Almost every day, there would be many trucks loaded with 40-foot containers and trucks loaded with sand and basalts plying on the left-hand-side lane of the bridge from Banjul. The load on the said lane is far more than the right-hand-sided lane.”
