Ghana’s President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has broken ground for the
construction of a three-tier interchange at the Obetsebi Lamptey Roundabout in
Accra.
The US$135 million interchange consists of a ground level roundabout,
with the second-tier, an east to west flyover linking the Graphic Road to the
Kaneshie Mallam Road
The third-tier of the interchange is a north to south flyover on the
Ring Road West, from the Royal House Chapel International Church to the Central
Mosque at Abossey Okai.
The project also includes the rehabilitation of major drainage
structures around the interchange and the construction of walkways and cycle
paths
President Akufo-Addo said the interchange would help address the
congestion being faced by commuters on the roundabout and improve mobility on
the Ring Road Corridor.
“It is estimated that the Obetsebi Circle records a peak hour
traffic volume of approximately 8,000 vehicles per hour,” he said and
indicated that the three-tier interchange would help bring relief to commuters.
The President noted that discussions had already taken place between the
ministries of Roads and Highways and Works and Housing to ensure that the
drainage works to be undertaken under the project did not adversely affect the
Greater Accra Resilient City Project
“The construction of the Obetsebi Interchange will be in two
phases. Phase one will consist of the construction of the east to west and
other related works while phase two will involve the construction of the
third-tier flyover on the Ring Road West.
“The interchange will improve mobility on the western part of the
Ring Road. It will help improve travel time to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital
and improve access to the Obossey Okai spare parts area and to business along
the Graphic Road and the Kaneshie Mallam Highway,” he said
The construction of the interchange would be undertaken by Queiroz
Galvao constructions UK LTD as a design and build contract, while the Ministry
of Roads and Highways will manage the construction through the Department of
Urban Roads, he said
The President said the construction of the interchange formed part of a
number of actions being undertaken by the government to improve urban mobility
within the western part of Accra
“We are tackling critical road projects so that every part of the
country has quality all-weather roads,” he said and mentioned a number of
road projects in Accra and Tema as well as other parts of the country which
were progressing steadily
President Akufo-Addo indicated that the Ministry of Finance had released
an amount of GH¢2.2 billion to the Ministry of Roads and Highways for payment
of works done by road contractors across the country.
“This will improve the cash flow of our contractors and ensure that
those who have left their construction sites return to complete their projects.
“I am directing the Ministry of Roads and Highways to monitor closely, the performance of every contractor engaged by government and I instruct the ministry not to hesitate to terminate the contracts of non-performing contractors,” he said.https://allafrica.com/stories/201910220471.html
