The countless potholes on the Accra-Nsawam highway are fast developing into ‘manholes’, putting the lives of motorists and commuters at risk.
The pot-holes are located on the whole stretch, particularly, Festus, Amasaman, Medie, Kpobiman, Sarpeiman and Doboro.
The Ghanaian Times has observed that a section of the road close to the tollbooth which accrues millions to the state is in a deplorable state creating heavy vehicular traffic at that point.
Some of the drivers ask the begging question “What is the road toll used for?” when paying the toll.
Aside the potholes, the median of the road are grown with weeds and the gutters choked with sand on the highway causing flooding on sections of the road whenever it rained heavily.
In an interview with some of the drivers and commuters yesterday, they said the numerous potholes on the road was impeding vehicular movement.
A commercial driver, Albert Ntow, said the increasing potholes on the road posed a threat to drivers and passengers, adding that the bad nature of the road was adding to the high cost of operating on the road.
Samuel Mensah said the countless potholes were a bother to drivers as it destroyed their vehicles and forced them to frequently change the parts.
A commuter, Agnes Asante, said it had become difficult to ply the Accra-Nsawam road due to the numerous potholes.
Ms Asante appealed to the government to urgently construct the road to address the daily trouble of plying that route.
The rehabilitation of the highway, she said would reduce road accidents on the stretch.
In an interview with the Head of Public Affairs of the Ghana Highways Authority, Cecil Nii Obodai Wentum, he said the extent of deterioration of the road had necessitated the need for the reconstruction of the road.
“The roads were patched recently, but the deterioration is such that the road has to be reconstructed,” he said.
Mr Wentum said “re-scoping” was currently being done on the road and it was at the planning stage.
The project would include three main dual carriageway and two lane service roads, adding that there would flyovers at Amasaman, Pobiman, Medie and Nsawam.
“In addition to that there will be an expansion of the Pobiman toll booth and then we will have the provision of pedestrian crosses and one underpass. And there will be eight foot bridges on that stretch,” Mr Wentum said.
He disclosed that work would soon start on the project.
The Ghanaian Times reported in July 2019 that an 18-kilometre Ofankor-Nsawam road reconstruction project was to begin in April, 2020 after the clearing of more than 1,000 structures along the highway.
The road which is a government of Ghana project was in line with the dualisation of the Accra-Kumasi highway project which aims to address traffic on the Accra- Nsawam road works.
The Accra-Nsawam road is an important international route that connects the south to the north of the country and Sahelian countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
The road was a single lane and was reconstructed into a dual carriageway in the early 2000s to ensure free flow of traffic in and out of the national capital, Accra.
Since its reconstruction, the road has not seen major rehabilitation resulting in the deterioration of the section of the stretch.
FROM KINGLEY ASARE AND ANITA NYARKO-YIRENKYI, NSAWAM
