Motorists and commuters who use the Obetsebi Lamptey roundabout in Accra, may have heaved a huge sigh of relief yesterday following the sod cutting ceremony held for work to begin on the $135m three tier interchange.
The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo on Monday, performed the ground breaking ceremony for construction to begin on the project, that many motorists who have been spending hours in traffic during rush hours coming to town and early evenings when going home.
Indeed, the public had expected construction to begin long ago due to the traffic build up from the Kwame Nkrumah interchange that pours into the Obetsebi Lamptey roundabout during rush hours.
Although, it might take some time for the project to be completed many would be comforted that at least the project has taken off,
In fact, motorists continue to hustle through the busy roundabout that connects the four corners of Accra and serves as an important part of the main international route for travellers from Togo to La Cote d’Ívoire.
Since the completion of the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange, with the motive of controlling vehicular and pedestrian traffic, motorists continue to endure heavy vehicular traffic due to the narrow nature of the Obetsebi Lamptey roundabout.
But as stated by President Akufo Addo, the interchange would help address the congestion being faced by commuters and improve mobility on the Ring Road corridor.
“It is estimated that the Obetsebi Lamptey records a peak hour traffic volume of approximately 8,000 vehicles per hour so the three tier interchange would help bring relief to commuters.
“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 Abossey Okai spare parts area and businesses along the Graphic road as well as the Kaneshie Mallam highway” he said.
No doubt, the completion of the interchange would bring huge relief to motorists and our prayer is that the contractors would finish the job in good time so that motorists would not face hardships.
We are aware that during the construction phase there would be some disruptions as some parts of the roads may have to be closed to allow the contractors some room to work.
Although, that may provide discomfort, we expect motorists and commuters to understand and cooperate with the contractors so that the project would be completed on schedule.
The Ghanaian Times is hopeful that the contractors would institute traffic management measures and stick to the project requirements of the contract as they work to construct a befitting edifice for the nation.
