Government will in November 2020, open the Obetsebi Lamptey Interchange and the ground road of the Pokuase Interchange, in Accra, to traffic.

The Roads Minister Kwasi Amoako-Attah disclosed this when he inspected some road projects in Accra, Wednesday.

He said the Pokuase interchange and its Awoshie-Kwabenya road were 96 percent complete, Accra-Kumasi road, 90 percent compete, local roads 99 percent complete, Interchange Bridge 80 percent complete, with overall completion progress of 85 percent.

The Minister said the second phase of the Obetsebi Lamptey project would commence between December 2020 and January 2021, but before that, all roads necessary to create convenience for motorists would be fixed.

Mr Amoako-Atta directed the engineers and contractors of the project to develop a proper traffic management system to ease inconveniences motorists faced.

Speaking on how user-friendly the Pokuase Interchange would be upon completion, he said there would be intensive educational programmes on various media outlets to direct motorists to use the facility safely.

He said all safety measures and directional signs would be placed at vantage points to prevent crashes on the interchange.

Mr. Amoako-Attah said the local consultants of the project had spearheaded the construction of about a two-kilometer storm drain to prevent flooding in future and with a stretch from Accra to Kumasi, Tamale and Paga were to be accessed by about 55,000 vehicles per day.

“The road was ideally a three-tier project, but because of good faith and honesty on the part of the contractors and Ghanaian consultants, it was transformed into a four-tier project because of the savings they made.

“The four-tier interchange in Pokuase is the first of its kind in West Africa and the second in Africa after South Africa’s EB Cloete Interchange in Durban,” he said.

Mr. Amoako-Attah appealed to contractors and resident engineers to be proactive, innovative and manage the traffic situation while taking into consideration necessary safety measures to protect lives on the interchange.

“We do not want to lose any soul here; neither do we even want to see anybody hurt on this project. It must be accident-free. All of us must stay safe and alive for this project to be completed so that we will individually and collectively enjoy it,” he added.

Since the commencement of the Pokuase Interchange project, the Minister said government had paid a compensation of almost 15 million dollars to individuals, including; residents who were directly affected by the project.

“People whose property were affected by the project are happy with the compensation and that’s why nobody is complaining. This government believes in the rule or law, fairness and we will not deal arbitrarily with any Ghanaian,” he stated.

The Resident Engineer of the Pokuase Interchange project, Mr. Kwabena Bempong, from Associated Consultancy Limited, said the ground roads of the project were left with asphalt overlay.

“We are left with the asphalt and by the end of November, we want to make the ground ready and open it to traffic.”

He said by November, part of the first, second, and third tier of the ground road would have been completed and between April and May 2021, the project would be handed over after completion.

The 84 million-dollar Pokuase Interchange project, jointly funded by the African Development Bank and the Government of Ghana, was commissioned in July 2018, to promote sustainable economic growth, convenience, and safe transportation for motorists and the people of the area.

The project, which is a part of the Accra Urban Transport projects, was awarded to Messrs China Zhongmei Engineering Company Limited.

The Obetsebi Lamptey Interchange on the other hand was awarded to M/S Queiroz Galvao-UK International, an engineering company, to ease traffic congestion on the corridor, which links Kaneshie, Graphic Road, Nkrumah Circle and Abossey Okai.