A bridge that is crucial for shipments throughout Karen state, has recently deteriorated to the point that traffic has been reduced, and trucks must decrease their tonnage before they pass over. The crossings of trucks that are nearly twice the tonnage maximum are cited as the cause of damage to the bridge.
Last week the Gyaing-Kawkare suspension bridge, just outside of Kyondo city, began to sag to one side under the weight of daily traffic. Traffic has been adjusted to compensate for the damage – vehicles are only allowed to drive slowly, one at at a time, over the bridge, according to passengers. Many vehicles cross the bridge daily as it is a crucial access point to Rangoon and Moulmein from Myawadddy, and is used by man, including farm shipments, timber trucks, and passenger busses.
“Gyaing-Kawkare suspension bridge is sloped on one side when the truck crosses on the bridge, so it has to be weighted to cross on the other side..,” said a rice trader. “Now, the bridge staff have set up the flags on the centre of bridge and I think repairs will be made, but I am not sure.”
“Now, the Gyaing bridge will only bear 20 tons of weight, so a 12 wheel truck can cross but some of the trucks have a lot of weight so they have to use a small truck to carry their commodities across the bridge,” said a trader who imported from Mae Sot to Yangoon. “We have to pay 30,000 kyat for each small truck we use.”
The damage caused to the bridge can be traced to corruption on the part of bridge staff. According to traders, bride staff that are responsible for the bridge would allow 12 wheels truck carrying 80 tons to cross, and because of this excess weight the bridge began to deteriorate. The Gyaing-Kawkare bridge was constructed in 1999 with a maximum weight limit of 45 ton. Sources have told IMNA that larger trucks have been able to pay their way across.
The damage however has had positive kickback for some traders. According to a woman who exports rice, traffic from Yangon to Hpa-an and Moulamine to Maywaddy is forced to drive slowly across the bridge which is causing delays in traffic. These slowdowns have subsequently increased the value of commodities such as rice and garlic.
“Nowadays, onions, rice and beans can bring in a good price when we export them,” said a source close to a trader who made both imports and exports products.
This case of corruption and neglect is not alone. In Hpa-an township on Thanlwin river, traders have to bribe bridge staff to transport their commodities across by truck. The official price for one truck to cross is 500 kyat, however when the traders carry a large volume of commodities, they have pay bribes to the bridge staff that vary based on the weight of their cargo.
More recently, as reported by IMNA, the main road from Maywaddy to Hpa-an, in Moulemin, has not been strong enough for trucks to travel on. Several trucks have gotten in accidents and fallen down the mountainside as the road has been damaged and weakened from the rain. The government has not yet taken action to reduce the number of trucks traveling on this route, and repairs have yet to be made to the road.
