The Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project will begin constructing a major underground stormwater drain along the Dr Busia Highway in Accra on September 7.

This forms part of efforts to improve flood management in the national capital.

The project comes in the wake of the June 29 flood disaster, which affected parts of Accra and renewed concerns about the city’s drainage infrastructure and vulnerability to heavy rainfall.

GARID Project Coordinator Dr Kwadwo Ohene Sarfo announced the commencement date during his appearance on the Government Accountability Series on Wednesday, August 26.

“Beginning 7th September, 2026, works will commence on the construction of a double-cell underground rectangular stormwater drain from Pamprom Junction to First Light Junction along the Dr Busia Highway within the Kaneshie enclave,” he said.

According to him, the proposed drain will be approximately 10 metres wide and extend for 1.5 kilometres. It will replace the two existing pipes, each measuring about 1.2 metres in diameter, which currently serve the enclave.

One end of the new drainage system will connect to the recently completed section within the Accra Academy campus, while the other will link to the drain at Pamprom Junction.

Dr Ohene Sarfo said the scale and location of the construction would make temporary road closures and traffic diversions unavoidable. The work will therefore be undertaken in phases under a comprehensive traffic management plan.

The first phase will begin on September 7 with the closure of the westbound carriageway of the Dr Busia Highway from Pamprom Junction. It is expected to continue until the end of November 2026.

The closure will affect motorists travelling from the Korle Bu–Mortuary Road, Graphic Road, Obetsebi-Lamptey Circle and Kwame Nkrumah Circle towards Pamprom Junction, First Light and adjoining areas.

Affected motorists will be redirected through designated alternative routes, including Awudome Cemetery Road, the New Times Corporation–Awudome Roundabout route and the Okponglo–Mataheko corridor.

Dr Ohene Sarfo urged residents, commuters, transport operators and businesses to pay attention to official traffic information and plan their journeys ahead of time to minimise disruption.

The GARID Project is a World Bank-funded initiative managed by the Government of Ghana. Its main goal is to reduce flood risks, improve solid waste management, and upgrade basic infrastructure in flood-prone, low-income communities within the Odaw River basin in the Greater Accra Region.