EDITORIAL: Upgrade Wami bridge now
What you need to know:
- Luckily, there were no serious consequences when a bus whose brakes had failed came within an inch of plunging 30 metres into the crocodile-infested Wami River.
Wami Bridge in Bagamoyo District has lately been in the news for all the wrong reasons. The bridge, which is located on the busy Chalinze-Segera highway, was the scene of two accidents in the space of three days last week.
Luckily, there were no serious consequences when a bus whose brakes had failed came within an inch of plunging 30 metres into the crocodile-infested Wami River.
While the accident was still making headlines, several passengers escaped with minor injuries when a bus and a lorry collided in the middle of the bridge.
Drivers need to exercise the utmost care when approaching this particular bridge, which has steep and winding gradients on both sides. But one attribute that makes it arguably the most infamous bridge in Tanzania is its narrowness, which allows only one vehicle to pass at a time.
The bridge has hardly changed since it was built by the British colonial government nearly 60 years ago. The government announced in 2014 that a new bridge with two lanes would be built at the site, but there still is no sign of that happening any time soon.
The government should honour its promise instead of waiting for a disaster to stir it out of its slumber.
